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Space
Space
Science
Sharmila Kuthunur

JWST finds 'dark beads' and wonky star patterns in Saturn's sky: 'These features were completely unexpected'

Saturn JWST Tom Stallard NASA
Montage of JWST images from Nov. 2024 showing Saturn's strange upper-atmosphere features: dark, bead-like patches embedded in auroral halos (right) and a lopsided star-shaped pattern extending from the pole (left).

For a planet already famous for its beauty and mysteries, Saturn just became even more enigmatic.

Fresh observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) — the most detailed yet of the planet's upper atmosphere — reveal "dark beads" scattered through Saturn's glowing auroras and a star-shaped pattern with two arms mysteriously missing. Nothing like these features has ever been seen on another world.

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