![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/saturn-rainbow-rings.jpg\")
A view of Saturn’s rings captured by the Cassini spacecraft on 30 June 2004. The varying hues are caused by of differences in their composition. Credit: NASA\/JPL\/University of Colorado<\/p>\n\u201cThe most intriguing part to me is that this seems to have just formed recently,\u201d\u00a0says Amy Simon at NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center.<\/p>\n
“The question is, why did it suddenly form now when we haven\u2019t seen one before?”<\/p>\n
Scientists have spotted a strange, 10-sided feature in Saturn’s clouds. The strange decagon was spotted encircling the planet’s south pole by the Hubble Space Telescope.<\/p>\n
A regular-sided jet pattern has never been observed in Saturn’s southern hemisphere before. So what is it and what’s going on?<\/p>\n
A view of Saturn’s rings captured by the Cassini spacecraft on 30 June 2004. The varying hues are caused by of differences in their composition. Credit: NASA\/JPL\/University of Colorado<\/p>\n
![\"Image](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/decagon-saturn-south-pole.jpg\")
Image of a 10-sided decagon feature at Saturn’s South Pole, captured on 29 August 2025 by the Hubble Space Telescope. Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI, A. S\u00e1nchez-Lavega (University of the Basque Country), A. Simon (NASA-GSFC), M. Wong (UC Berkeley); Image Processing: A. Pagan (STScI)
\nShapes in Saturn’s storms<\/p>\n
Saturn is mostly made of gas \u2013 specifically hydrogen and helium \u2013 and its atmosphere rages with ferocious winds that can reach speeds of up to 500 miles per hour (800 kph).<\/p>\n
Within this stormy atmosphere, a strange 10-sided shape has formed at the south pole.<\/p>\n
It’s not the first geometric pattern spotted at Saturn. Astronomers have previously spotted a similar 8-sided shape at its north pole: Saturn’s famous hexagon storm.<\/p>\n
![\"Saturn's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/saturn-hexagon.jpg\")
Saturn’s hexagonal polar jet stream, as seen by the Cassini spacecraft. Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/Space Science Institute<\/p>\n
But, say scientists, the 10-sided shape at the south pole is distinctly different, meaning we may be seeing a new atmospheric phenomenon developing on the ringed planet.<\/p>\n
Planetary scientists were able to observe the 10-sided pattern develop over time by looking at years of Hubble Space Telescope observations dating back to 2023.<\/p>\n
The discovery was made because Saturn\u2019s changing seasons have slowly brought the planet\u2019s south pole back into view from Earth.<\/p>\n
That’s when astronomers first spotted it.<\/p>\n
![\"Image](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/hubble-saturn-2025.jpg\")
Image of Saturn captured on 29 August 2025 by the Hubble Space Telescope. Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI, A. S\u00e1nchez-Lavega (University of the Basque Country), A. Simon (NASA-GSFC), M. Wong (UC Berkeley); Image Processing: A. Pagan (STScI)
\nTeasing out Saturn’s decagon<\/p>\n
Agust\u00edn S\u00e1nchez-Lavega of the University of the Basque Country in Spain and lead author of the study, first spotted hints of Saturn’s decagon via the university’s Planetary Virtual Observatory Laboratory<\/a> website.<\/p>\n The site collects images of Solar System planets captured by observers all over the world.<\/p>\n In 2024, S\u00e1nchez-Lavega and amateur astronomers Trevor Barry and Jean-Paul Oger noticed a subtle band along Saturn’s southern pole.<\/p>\n Additional 2025 imagery from the ground hinted they were in fact looking at a decagon storm on Saturn.<\/p>\n Hubble\u2019s vantage from space gave the team the views they needed to compete the picture.<\/p>\n “Given Saturn\u2019s symmetry in its north-south jet stream system, we have been searching for a counterpart to Saturn\u2019s northern hexagon on the south pole in Hubble images since 1990,” says\u00a0S\u00e1nchez-Lavega.<\/p>\n
![\"Saturn's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/saturn-decagon-single-wavelength.jpg\")
Saturn’s south polar decagon, captured by the Hubble Space Telescope in a single wavelength of light. Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI, A. S\u00e1nchez-Lavega (University of the Basque Country), A. Simon (NASA-GSFC), M. Wong (UC Berkeley); Image Processing: A. Pagan (STScI)