Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Apr 2011
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011dda....42.0802h&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, DDA meeting #42, #8.02; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 43, 2011
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
The 320-km-wide Encke Gap in Saturn's outer A ring is held open by the small moon Pan. This gap contains three narrow ringlets: one near Pan's orbit at 133,585 km from Saturn's center, a central one at 133,485 km near the gap's inner edge and one at 133,720 km near the gap's outer edge. All three ringlets contain localized clumps of material that can be tracked over several years. These structures exhibit several unexpected dynamical properties. For example, the clumps in the central ringlet are always asymmetrically distributed with respect to Pan, and their motion is inconsistent with that expected for particles on simple horseshoe or tadpole orbits. Such anomalies probably occur because the Encke Gap ringlets are composed primarily of small grains 1-100 microns across, so the particles’ orbital properties are perturbed not only by close encounters with Pan, but also by various non-gravitational forces. Indeed, the ringlets exhibit significant forced eccentricities induced by solar radiation pressure. We will explore how the interplay between gravitational and non-gravitational processes shape the structure and dynamics of these dusty ringlets.
Burns Joseph A.
Hedman Matthew M.
Tiscareno Matthew S.
No associations
LandOfFree
Of Horseshoes and Heliotropes: The Dynamics of Dust in the Encke Gap 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 Of Horseshoes and Heliotropes: The Dynamics of Dust in the Encke Gap, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Of Horseshoes and Heliotropes: The Dynamics of Dust in the Encke Gap will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-763798