Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Apr 2001
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2001mnras.322..343p&link_type=abstract
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 322, Issue 2, pp. 343-355.
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
8
Celestial Mechanics, Planets And Satellites: Individual: Saturn
Scientific paper
The system of Saturn's inner satellites is saturated with many resonances. Its structure should be strongly affected by tidal forces driving the satellites through several orbit-orbit resonances. The evolution of these satellites is investigated using analytic and numerical methods. We show that the pair of satellites Prometheus and Pandora has a particularly short lifetime (<20Myr) if the orbits of the satellites converge without capture into a resonance. The capture of Pandora into a resonance with Prometheus increases the lifetime of the couple by a few tens of Myr. However, resonances of the system are not well separated, and capture results in a chaotic motion. Secondary resonances also disrupt the resonant configurations. In all cases, the converging orbits of these two satellites result in a close encounter. The implications for the origin of Saturn's rings are discussed.
Poulet François
Sicardy Bruno
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