Its scientists are looking for the answer to a big riddle NASAafter detecting “shadows” in Saturn’s rings.

The “shadows” were detected by the Hubble telescope and according to astrophysicists, at the moment, there is no answer to their appearance.

The “shadows” in the rings of the second largest planet in our solar system were not present in the previous pictures taken by the telescopes, which raises even bigger questions about why and by what process they were created.

NASA scientists have been tracking the changes taking place for decades –roughly every 15 Earth years– in the rings of Saturn, however, the phenomenon of “shadows” had never appeared before, at least in the time that the planet has been “observed”.

As can be seen, this pattern of changes in the rings of Saturn, happens during the “Autumn” season. According to the calculations of NASA scientists, the peak of the “autumn” period will occur on May 6, 2025, when the phenomenon is expected to have manifested itself to its maximum extent.

Note that due to its distance from the Sun, one year on Saturn – i.e. one complete orbit around the star of our system – lasts 29 Earth years and each of its seasons lasts nine years.

See the pictures that Hubble “took” of the mysterious “shadows” in Saturn’s rings:

Saturn

Saturn