Saturn's Rings: An Accessible Astrophysical Disk

Other

Scientific paper

Rate now

  [ 0.00 ] – not rated yet Voters 0   Comments 0

Details

Scientific paper

Saturn's ring system is an astrophysical disk that is neither light-years away nor billions of years in the past. We can visit this disk at close range and observe a number of phenomena that also operate in disks of other kinds. As a result, we see small-scale processes that shape ring texture, connect those processes to the bodies and structures that cause them, and watch closely as the disk changes with time.
Recent observations include: 1) "self-gravity wakes” (see Julian and Toomre 1966) dominating the texture of some ring regions; 2) km-sized "propeller-shaped” features caused by small (100-meter) moonlets embedded in the disk; 3) irregular edge shapes in the gaps opened up by larger ( 10 km) moons, which may hold clues to angular momentum transport; 4) resonant spiral density waves excited by more distant large moons, which serve as in situ probes of local disk density and viscosity; 5) waves whose form changes with time, due to the varying orbits of the moons Janus and Epimetheus. The latest results from the Cassini mission will be presented.

No associations

LandOfFree

Say what you really think

Search LandOfFree.com for scientists and scientific papers. Rate them and share your experience with other people.

Rating

Saturn's Rings: An Accessible Astrophysical Disk does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Saturn's Rings: An Accessible Astrophysical Disk, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Saturn's Rings: An Accessible Astrophysical Disk will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

     

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1481211

  Search
All data on this website is collected from public sources. Our data reflects the most accurate information available at the time of publication.