哈伯太空望遠鏡在土星上發現奇特的十邊形狀
Hubble Telescope discovers strange ten-sided shape on Saturn
Updated at: September 5, 2026 at 01:00 AM
土星持續為天文學家帶來驚奇。
Saturn continues to surprise astronomers.
近期，哈伯太空望遠鏡捕捉到了一個巨大的十邊形大氣波，或者稱作「十邊渦」，正環繞著土星南極。
Recently, the Hubble Space Telescope captured images of a massive, 10-sided atmospheric wave, or 'decagon,' circling the planet's south pole.
這項發現於2026年9月發表在《科學進展》期刊，特別令人振奮，因為這是人類首次在土星南半球目睹如此幾何形狀的噴流模式。
This discovery, published in Science Advances in September 2026, is particularly exciting because it is the first time such a geometric jet pattern has been seen in Saturn’s southern hemisphere.
雖然土星北極幾十年來都有著著名的六邊形構造，但南極的十邊形卻是全新的現象。
While Saturn’s north pole has featured a famous 6-sided hexagon for decades, the southern decagon is a brand new phenomenon.
它在卡西尼任務期間明顯缺席，卻隨著土星自轉軸傾角的變化，於2023年左右開始出現。
It was notably absent during the Cassini mission years but began appearing around 2023 as the planet’s tilt shifted.
該十邊形規模宏大，跨度超過10萬4000英哩，代表一種複雜、且向大氣深處垂直延伸的波動。
The decagon is enormous, stretching over 104,000 miles, and represents a complex, vertically extended wave that persists deep into the atmosphere.
首席研究員阿古斯丁·桑切斯─拉維加及其團隊，在業餘天文學家的協助下，正研究此特徵如何演變。
Lead researcher Agustín Sánchez-Lavega and his team, supported by amateur astronomers, are now studying how this feature evolves.
十邊形的意外現身，挑戰了先前認為北極六邊形是唯一異常現象的理論。
The unexpected appearance of the decagon challenges previous theories that the northern hexagon was a unique anomaly.
這提供了一個罕見且即時的機會，去了解氣態巨行星神秘的氣象學，證明我們的太陽系仍有許多祕密等著被解碼。
It offers a rare, real-time chance to understand the mysterious meteorology of gas giants, proving that our solar system still holds plenty of secrets waiting to be decoded.
