Density Waves in Saturns Rings from Cassini
Explanation:
What causes the patterns in Saturn's rings?
The Cassini spacecraft, soon ending its 13 years orbiting
Saturn,
has sent back another
spectacular image of
Saturn's immense ring system in
unprecedented
detail.
The physical cause for some of Saturn's
ring structures is not always understood.
The cause for the beautifully geometric type of ring structure
shown
here in
ring of Saturn, however,
is surely a
density wave.
A small moon systematically perturbing the orbits of
ring particles
circling Saturn at slightly different distances causes such a
density wave bunching.
Also visible on the lower right of
the image is a
bending wave,
a
vertical wave in ring particles also
caused by the gravity of a nearby moon.
Cassini's final orbits are allowing a series of
novel
scientific measurements
and images of the Solar System's
most grand ring system.
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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.
