Event
NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day features recent Hubble Space Telescope observations showing a 10-sided cloud pattern around Saturn’s south pole. Scientists suggest the boundaries may be caused by waves where fast-moving polar gas interacts with slower gas closer to the poles.
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NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day has featured Hubble observations of a decagonal cloud pattern, whose cause and long-term stability remain under study.
Background
NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day for 8 September 2026 features a composite image from Hubble observations taken last year, showing a 10-sided cloud pattern around Saturn’s south pole. NASA suggests the boundaries may result from waves formed where faster-moving polar gas meets slower gas nearer the pole. Saturn’s north pole has a separate, well-known six-sided cloud pattern observed for more than 40 years.
NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day for 8 September 2026 features a composite image from Hubble observations taken last year, showing a 10-sided cloud pattern around Saturn’s south pole. NASA suggests the boundaries may result from waves formed where faster-moving polar gas meets
Fact cards
Key entities: NASA, Hubble Space Telescope, Saturn, Pelican Nebula, North America Nebula.
What did Hubble observe? A 10-sided cloud pattern around Saturn’s south pole. Is the decagon a solid structure? No. It is a pattern in clouds and gas. What may cause the pattern? Waves where faster-moving polar gas interacts with slower gas nearer the pole. Is that explanation co
NASA News Releases | https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2026-september-8-hubble-decagon-around-saturns-south-pole | published 2026-09-08T04:05:00.000Z | primary source | NASA News Releases/APOD, 8 September 2026 | Primary source for the Hubble observation, proposed expla
More than 40 years ago: Saturn’s north-pole six-sided cloud pattern was identified in Voyager data. 2025: The Hubble image composite of Saturn’s south pole was taken. 2026-09-08: NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day featured the southern decagonal cloud pattern. Future: Scientists
Timeline
Saturn’s north-pole six-sided cloud pattern was identified in Voyager data.
The Hubble image composite of Saturn’s south pole was taken.
NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day featured the southern decagonal cloud pattern.
Scientists are expected to study the pattern’s long-term stability further.
FAQ
A 10-sided cloud pattern around Saturn’s south pole.
No. It is a pattern in clouds and gas.
Waves where faster-moving polar gas interacts with slower gas nearer the pole.
No. NASA presents it as a possibility.
Yes, its north pole has a known six-sided cloud pattern observed for more than 40 years.
The composite was taken last year.
A 25-hour-exposure image of the Pelican Nebula, also known as IC 5070.
Utah.
Young, energetic stars are transforming cold gas into hot gas.
A bright boundary where the nebula’s cold gas is being transformed into hot gas.
Yes. A molecular cloud containing dark dust separates them.
From apod.nasa.gov to science.nasa.gov/apod.