Cassini discovered the terribly thin rings of Saturn

Cassini discovered the terribly thin rings of Saturn

If the material is thicker, then it should be less transparent, right? It turns out that in the rings of Saturn is not always the case. A new study of ring B shows that although it is one of Saturn’s most opaque rings, it is not the densest.

Mysterious results relate not only to this particular ring. NASA reported that scientists found similar results when looking at the rings of other gas giants. These latest findings come from the Cassini spacecraft, which slowly flies Saturn, having studied it since its arrival in 2004.

“Appearance can be deceptive,” said co-author of the study and co-researcher of the Cassini apparatus, Phil Nicholson of Cornell University in New York, presenting a NASA report. “A good analogy is the comparison: a misty meadow is less transparent than a basin, although the second one is much denser and contains much more water.”

The research team drew attention to the mass density of the ring, studying the spiral density waves. These features manifest themselves when particles of a ring move under the action of gravity, which is created by gravity Saturn's satellites, which in turn depends on the enormous size of a giant planet. The structure of each wave depends on how dense it is, as well as on the effect of gravity. Scientists now know that ring B is less dense than it seems at first glance, but the final reason for this is still a mystery. It may be something related to the size or density of individual particles, or it may have a certain relationship to the structure of the rings, ”said Matthew Hedman, lead author of the study and scientist Cassini of the University of Idaho.

While the rings of Saturn are the most spectacular in the solar system, it is not the only planet with rings. Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune also have weak independent ring systems. Perhaps this proves different histories of origin, but one can definitely answer this question only after extensive research. NASA reports that the rings of Saturn, made up of billions of particles and pieces, are likely fragments of broken satellites, comets or asteroids, which were separated by the force of gravity of Saturn.

The Ring of Saturn was studied before using the Cassini composite infrared spectrometer, but this study has a slightly different approach. Using visible and infrared light, the team noticed a bright star between the rings. They also combined the results of multiple observations, which makes it possible to see even thinner ring waves than before.

Observing how tightly the rings are located can help scientists discover the age of the rings, which are considered relatively young compared to the more than 4.5 billion years of the solar system. “Less massive rings will develop faster than rings containing more material, becoming faster sawn from meteorites and other space sources, NASA writes in the same statement. “Thus, a less massive ring B may be younger by several hundred million years, and not by several billions.”

The study was published in the journal Icarus. Cassini’s mission will complete its work next year. When fuel is consumed, the spacecraft intentionally crashes into Saturn to avoid contamination of icy satellites such as Enceladus.

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