A bit of meteorological magic has unveiled a string of pearl-like formations in the planet Saturn’s atmosphere.

Seen here dotting the upper portion of Saturn, the pearl-like chain of formations spans some 37,000 miles (60,000 kilometers) as seen from the Cassini spacecraft currently orbiting the ringed planet.

Cassini’s visual and infrared mapping spectrometer observed Saturn to record its internal glow from thermal heating. The bright “pearls” here are actually clear spots in the planet’s deep atmosphere, with more than two dozen of them dotting the planet at regular intervals across a region found at 40 degrees north latitude

Saturn researchers said Cassini’s observations – released this week, but first obtained in April – are the first to find such a regular and extensive train of cloud-clearings on the planet.

The apparent regular pattern between cloud clearings suggests they may result from a large planetary wave, researchers said, adding that more observations of the phenomenon are planned for the next few years.

• Saturn’s Shadow Sheds Light on Rings
• Titan’s Surface: Dusty Dunes?
• Saturnian Cloud-Glow
• Pale Blue Dot Redux
• Special Report: Cassini’s Ongoing Mission to Saturn

-- SPACE.com Staff

Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona.