Seasonal variations of Saturn's E ring

Details Seasonal variations of Saturn's E ring Seasonal variations of Saturn's E ring

Apr 2003

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2003eaeja.....2433j&link_type=abstract

EGS - AGU - EUG Joint Assembly, Abstracts from the meeting held in Nice, France, 6 - 11 April 2003, abstract #2433

Computer Science

Scientific paper

We have developed a new, fully three-dimensional model for the E ring that follows its seasonal variability due to Saturn's orbital motion about the Sun. We numerically integrate a large number of dust grain orbits originating from Enceladus, Tethys and Dione, due to micro-meteorite bombardment until they a) escape, b) collide with one of these moons or the main ring, or c) sputter below a minimum size of 0.02 micron. The dust production is continuing for several orbital period of Saturn. The E ring shows an azimuthal asymmetry, with a global bulge pointing approximately toward the Sun. It also displays a vertical asymmetry in its brightness, its sun-ward side is displaced above the equatorial plane during Saturn's winter solstice and bellow the equatorial plane during summer solstice. The entire thickness of the E ring also shows a seasonal variability. We report on the comparison of this model with earlier ground based and spacecraft observations and predict the dust impact rate for the Cassini spacecraft during its main mission.

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