The Hubble Telescope has achieved an ultra-clear image of a “ghostly” and seasonal phenomenon on the planet Saturn

data of Hubble Space Telescope I have achieved an image Saturn When the planet was about 1,365 million kilometers from Earth. Ultra-sharp vision reveals a “ghostly” phenomenon in the rings known as spokes.

The snapshot, released by NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) on Thursday, is dated October 22.

Saturn’s spokes are fleeting features that rotate with the rings and their rings “ghostly appearance” It lasts only two or three orbits around Saturn, according to reports from the European Space Agency and NASA.

In 1981, NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft imaged the radius of the rings for the first time, and the Cassini spacecraft also observed them during its 13-year mission that ended in 2017.

Hubble continues to observe Saturn annually as radios come and go. This cycle was captured by Hubble’s Outer Planets Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) program, which began nearly a decade ago to observe… Annual monitoring of climate changes on gas giant exoplanets.

Their clear images show that the frequency of radio appearances is seasonal.

Long-term observation shows that the number and contrast of rays varies with Saturn’s seasons. The planet is tilted on its axis like Earth It has seasons that last about seven years.

“We are heading towards the Saturnian equinox, where maximum radio activity is expected, and… In the coming years, radios with higher and darker frequencies will appear“Explained OPAL program lead scientist Amy Simon of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

This year, these ephemeral structures appear on both sides of the planet simultaneously as they orbit the giant globe. Although it appears small compared to Saturn, its length and width can extend far beyond the diameter of Earth.

The Opal team points out that the leading theory is that the radii are related to interactions between the strong magnetic field of Saturn and the Sun, and planetary scientists believe that the electrostatic forces resulting from this interaction lift dust or ice above the surface. Although after several decades there is no theory that fully predicts the speaker.

Ongoing observations by Hubble, a joint project between NASA and the European Space Agency, may help solve the mystery.

(With information from EFE and EuropaPress)