"Mysterious Dark Spokes Observed by Hubble in Saturn's Rings"

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Source: IFLScience
"Mysterious Dark Spokes Observed by Hubble in Saturn's Rings"
Photo: IFLScience
TL;DR Summary

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has captured new images of mysterious dark "spokes" in Saturn's rings, which are more visible as Saturn approaches its equinox. These transient features, larger than Earth in size, vary in frequency with Saturn's seasons and are believed to be influenced by the planet's magnetic field interacting with the solar wind. While the exact mechanism of their formation remains uncertain, the leading theory suggests that electrostatic forces may levitate ice or dust particles above the rings to create the spokes.

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