Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Saturns Hexagon Comes to Light

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 14, 2009 is “Saturns Hexagon Comes to Light,” an image. It is credited to Cassini Imaging Team , SSI , JPL , ESA , NASA. The original explanation runs about 167 words.

Saturns Hexagon Comes to Light
Credit: Cassini Imaging Team , SSI , JPL , ESA , NASA Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“Believe it or not, this is the North Pole of Saturn. It is unclear how an unusual hexagonal cloud system that surrounds Saturn’s north pole was created, keeps its shape, or how long it will last.”

— APOD editors, December 14, 2009

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
December 14, 2009
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Cassini Imaging Team , SSI , JPL , ESA , NASA
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 167 words

All of December 2009 → · 2009 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

Saturn

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: December 14 in other years

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.