Mysterious “spokes” in Saturn’s rings continue to be active, according to NASA. The spokes, barely discernible near the center of the image, look shiny against the dense core of the B ring, which is the darkest portion of the rings revealed here in silhouette. The space agency notes that spokes can reach 10,000 miles long or more.

Scientists are interested in observing the transition that takes place as Saturn approaches its northern summer solstice which “marks the beginning of summer in the northern hemisphere and winter in the southern hemisphere,” according to the University of Colorado at Boulder’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics. During this time, conditions supportive for the creation of spokes are forecasted to diminish. The timing of this transition could offer a great deal of insight into the mechanisms that are responsible for forming these mysterious features.

A 2005 NASA statement reveals that there is no commonly accepted theory for the creation of the spokes. Some astronomers believe that spokes are brought about by meteoroid impacts onto the rings, while others propose that they are produced by instability in the ringed planet’s magnetic field.

The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Oct. 19, 2013. It was snapped at a distance of approximately 1.2 million miles from Saturn.

On Jun. 30, 2004, Cassini entered orbit around Saturn to start the first in-depth investigation of the ringed planets and its dominion. Unsurprisingly, the Saturn System has offered scientists an amazing number of opportunities for exploration and discovery.