“Spoke Season” on Saturn

This Hubble Space Telescope photo of Saturn was taken on October 22, 2023, when the ringed planet was approximately 850 million miles from Earth. Hubble imaging is so sharp it resolves a phenomenon called ring spokes appearing on both sides of the planet simultaneously as they spin around the giant world. Hubble observes Saturn annually as the spokes come and go. Hubble’s crisp images show that the frequency of spoke apparitions is seasonally driven. Long-term monitoring show that both the number and contrast of the spokes vary with Saturn’s seasons. Saturn is tilted on its axis like Earth, and has seasons lasting approximately seven years.