The new theory about what Saturn's rings would be 0:57
(CNN) --
The Hubble Space Telescope has captured images of a mysterious spectacle unfolding in Saturn's rings: eerie, fleeting "spokes" that appear to move along the planet's rings.
And scientists still cannot explain why these phenomena occur.
The return of the spokes is one of the first signs that Saturn is entering a new season as it approaches its northern hemisphere's autumnal equinox, which is expected to occur on May 6, 2025, for the first time in a few 15 years.
Scientists have long known about the mystifying rays, which look like specters skating along Saturn's rings and can be seen around the planet during the equinox.
The first evidence was captured by NASA's Voyager mission in the 1980s.
The exact cause of these phenomena remains unknown to scientists.
But this time, NASA researchers hope to finally solve the mystery.
Hubble will continue to observe the radii, which are expected to become more prominent in the run up to the 2025 equinox, providing more insight into the intriguing events.
"The presumed culprit for the radii is the planet's variable magnetic field," according to a NASA press release.
"Planetary magnetic fields interact with the solar wind, creating an electrically charged environment."
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Seven Hubble Space Telescope images, each taken about four minutes apart, were stitched together to show the "spokes" revolving around Saturn.
"On Earth, when those charged particles hit the atmosphere this is visible in the northern hemisphere as aurora borealis, or northern lights."
Essentially, the scientists suspect that the tiny particles may become charged by this activity, causing them to briefly rise above the surrounding material and creating an apparent bulge.
Scientists hope that upcoming Hubble data will prove or disprove that theory once and for all, based on observations collected by Voyager and Cassini, the dedicated probe to Saturn that observed the ray phenomenon during its last appearance in late 20th century. 2000s.
A long-lost moon explains the origin of Saturn's characteristic rings
"Despite years of excellent observations from the Cassini mission, the precise start and duration of the radio season remains unpredictable, sort of like predicting the first storm during hurricane season," said Amy Simon, a planetary scientist at NASA, which leads the Hubble Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy program, in a statement.
The spokes are only visible around Saturn's equinox, when the planet's rings are tilted toward the Sun, according to NASA.
The markings may appear as bright points of light or as black spots, depending on the point of view of the observing instrument.
Other ringed planets may experience similar phenomena, although so far they have only been observed in Saturn's dense and prominent rings.
"It's a fascinating magic trick of nature that we only see on Saturn, at least for now," Simon says.
Saturn NASA Hubble Space Telescope
