Overview
- A peer‑reviewed study published Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, confirms a ten‑sided atmospheric wave encircling Saturn’s south pole based on Hubble, ground‑based and amateur images from 2023–2025.
- The feature sits near about 60° south, spans multiple atmospheric layers, rides a powerful eastward jet, and drifts eastward at roughly 10 kph rather than remaining stationary.
- Teams tested formation ideas with simulations including jet‑stream instabilities and forcing by a nearby anticyclone but none of the scenarios fully reproduce the observed decagon.
- Amateur observers first flagged the pattern and professional programs then confirmed it, and astronomers have organized follow‑up observations with Hubble, the James Webb Space Telescope, the VLT and global amateur networks.
- The finding shows Saturn can produce different long‑lived polygonal waves and offers a live laboratory to improve models of giant‑planet atmospheres and to watch how seasonal sunlight changes may alter the structure through the 2032 peak.