Those peculiar splotch-like shapes have reappeared after an absence of more than a decade. As NASA dubs them, Spokes can be seen on the left side of the rings in the newly released photos from the Hubble telescope.
Due to the scarcity of ringed objects in the local cosmos, this event is exceptional and takes place in a peculiar location within our solar system. NASA planetary scientist Amy Simon stated, “It’s a fascinating magic trick of nature we only witness on Saturn – for now at least.”
Tethys with #Saturn and it's rings. Magnificent! Credits: Cassini, SSI, JPL, ESA, NASA #Space pic.twitter.com/F5bLUeQbF3
— AstroCamp (@AstroCamp) April 7, 2015
When the gas giant experiences its winter or summer solstice, sunlight is at its most outstanding minimum extent, and the spokes vanish, as they do on Earth. (This is why the summer solstice is the year’s longest day.)
In contrast, the spots reemerge just before the equinox (the point in fall or spring when day and night are about the same lengths). Due to Saturn’s greater distance from the sun, each season lasts seven Earth years. Because of this, Saturnian seasons don’t shift for quite some time.
Cassini, NASA’s famed Saturn mission, has studied Saturn’s rings extensively, but planetary scientists still don’t know when the patterns will return.
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NASA Hubble Space Telescope Captures Saturns First Spoke Season
Hubble Space Telescope photos of Saturn released by NASA this year mark the beginning of the planet’s “spoke season,” which occurs around the equinox and is characterised by the appearance of mysterious characteristics throughout Saturn’s rings.
Planetary scientists have not yet provided a satisfactory explanation for the spokes’ origin or their seasonal variations. Thanks to NASA’s Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) programme, the Hubble Space Telescope spends time each year observing Saturn, and the dynamic gas giant planet never fails to reveal something new.
NASA Hubble Space Telescope near-infrared image of a pillar of gas and dust, three light-years tall, that is being eaten away by the brilliant light from nearby stars
(Credit: NASA, ESA, M. Livio and the Hubble 20th Anniversary Team (STScI)) pic.twitter.com/Pz02MnQdV8
— World and Science (@WorldAndScience) February 8, 2023
On the image’s left, the arrival of two smudgy spokes in Saturn’s B ring marks the beginning of “spoke season.” Spokes can appear either light or dark depending on the viewer’s position, and they can even look more like blobs than the more conventional radial designs.
Temporary in nature, more of these phenomena are expected to show up as the autumnal equinox of the planet approaches on May 6, 2025. The spokes’ origin and nature will be investigated by scientists seeking indicators.
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