The Hubble Space Telescope showcased a special image of Saturn, taken in October 2023, revealing an intriguing phenomenon called “spokes.”
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These spokes were observed when the planet was over 1.3 billion kilometers from Earth, and the sharp vision of the Hubble displayed structures rotating along with Saturn’s rings, persisting for only two or three rotations around the planet.
Since their discovery in 1981 by the Voyager 2 probe, Saturn’s spokes have been studied, and now the Hubble’s Outer Planets Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) program documents their seasonal cycle, suggesting that their frequency is related to the planet’s seasons and the solar interaction with its magnetic field.
Tis the spoke season!
Hubble observed “ring spokes” on Saturn, seen as the faint gray smudges along the rings.
These spokes are likely levitated dust or ice caused by interactions between Saturn’s magnetic field and the Sun’s solar wind particles: https://t.co/xJVja0IyVn pic.twitter.com/C6i7tgZhwB
— Hubble (@NASAHubble) December 21, 2023
