Prometheus Creating Saturn Ring Streamers
Explanation:
What's causing those strange dark streaks in the rings of Saturn?
Prometheus.
Specifically, an orbital dance involving
Saturn's moon Prometheus keeps creating unusual light and dark streamers in
the
F-Ring of Saturn.
Now
Prometheus orbits Saturn just inside the thin
F-ring, but ventures into its inner edge about every 15 hours.
Prometheus' gravity then
pulls the closest
ring particles toward the 100-km moon.
The result is not only a stream of bright
ring particles but also a
dark ribbon where ring particles used to be.
Since
Prometheus
orbits faster than the ring particles, the icy moon pulls out a new streamer every
pass.
Sometimes, several streamers or
kinks
are visible at once.
The
above
photograph taken in mid-January by the robotic Cassini Spacecraft orbiting Saturn.
The oblong moon Prometheus is visible on the far left of the image.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
