APOD: 2026 August 5 – Spokes on Saturn’s B Ring

APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 August 5 – Spokes… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss APOD Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. Brad Croslin Spokes on Saturn’s B Ring Explanation: Don’t get spooked by Saturn’s ghostly spokes!

Today we feature a nearly two-hour timelapse of Saturn and its rings looping forwards and backwards. If you look closely, a ghoulish shadow appears and disappears as Saturn’s B ring rotates. Decades of observation with Voyager 2 , Cassini , and Hubble show the appearance of Saturn’s spokes varies with the planet’s seasons .

Like Earth, Saturn’s spin axis is tilted compared to the plane of its orbit around the Sun. During Saturn’s equinox , the rings are less tilted toward the Sun and they receive sunlight at a shallower angle. Saturn’s spokes may be electrically charged dust and ice temporarily levitated above the rings by electromagnetic forces.

It is still uncertain, but the ring plasma and charge environment may be influenced by changing ultraviolet illumination, meteoroid impacts, or indirect effects from interactions between the solar wind and the planet’s magnetic field. Note: The text of this APOD has been revised. Tomorrow’s picture: the COSMOS Date: August 5, 2026 Credit & Copyright: Brad Croslin Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff, Jerry Bonnell, Cecilia Chirenti, Keighley Rockcliffe A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC , NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech.

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