How many main rings does Saturn have?
Scientists don't know for sure exactly how many rings Saturn has. There are eight main, named ring groups that stretch across 175,000 miles, but there are far more than eight rings. These systems are named with letters of the alphabet, in order of their discovery.
What are facts about Saturn's rings?
Fast Summary Facts About Saturn's Rings!
- Main Rings Width: 140,200 km (87,600 miles)
- Rings Thickness: ~10 m (30 feet) on average
- Time To Orbit Saturn: Varies from a few hours to about 20 hours
- Composition: Mostly water ice particles
- Surface Temperature: -230 °C (43 K) to -110 °C (163 K)
Does the Earth have rings like Saturn's?
Researchers say Earth may soon have Saturn-like rings made of space debris
- The total amount of space debris. The European Space Agency claims that there are more than 170 million space debris objects in Earth orbit.
- Harms of space debris. Earlier today, the crew of ISS was forced to take shelter in their evacuation spacecraft as potentially dangerous debris appeared near it.
- Earth's rings. ...
How big are Saturn's rings?
Saturn's rings are about 175,000 miles (282,000 km) across, but only about 3,200 feet (~1 km) thick. If you had a model of Saturn that was a meter stick wide (3 feet), its rings would be about 10,000 times thinner than a razor blade! Saturn and its rings would just fit in the distance between Earth and the Moon. Continue the conversation on
How many rings are there on Saturn?
Though Saturn appears surrounded by a single, solid ring when viewed by an amateur astronomer, several divisions exist. The rings are named alphabetically in the order of discovery. Thus the main rings are, from farthest from the planet to closest, A, B and C. A gap 2,920 miles wide (4,700 kilometers), known as the Cassini Division, separates the A and B rings.
What planet is the sixth planet from the Sun?
Click here for more Space.com videos... Saturn, the sixth planet from the sun, is one of the most easily identified targets for astronomers, largely due to its large and distinct ring system. The rings of Saturn have fascinated stargazers for centuries, ever since telescopes were first pointed toward the sky.
What are Saturn's rings made of?
Composition and structure. Saturn's rings are made up of billions of particles ranging from grains of sand to mountain-size chunks. Composed predominantly of water-ice, the rings also draw in rocky meteoroids as they travel through space. Though Saturn appears surrounded by a single, solid ring when viewed by an amateur astronomer, ...
How were Saturn's rings formed?
Some scientists think that passing comets or asteroids were snagged by the planet's gravity and broken up before reaching it. Another possibility is that the rings were once large moons that spiraled into the planet. Saturn has at least 62 moons.
When did Pioneer 11 enter Saturn?
In modern times, Pioneer 11 passed through the Saturn ring plane in 1979. In the 1980s, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 glimpsed the planet's ring system. In 2004, NASA's Cassini-Huygens mission became the first to enter orbit around Saturn, taking detailed observations not only of the planet but of its ring system.
What would happen if the outer layers of Saturn were stripped away?
If the icy outer layers were stripped away, leaving the core to crash into Saturn, the result would be rings dominated by nearly pure water-ice. [ PHOTOS: The Rings and Moons of Saturn]
What causes seasons on Saturn?
The tilt causes seasons, just as it does on Earth, and when Saturn reaches equinox, its equator and ring plane are directly in line with the sun. Sunlight hits the rings edge-on, and the fine line of the rings is difficult to detect.
How far away is Cassini from the surface?
9, 2008. At closet approach Cassini will be 25 kilometers (16 miles) from the surface...
What spacecraft broke apart after entering Saturn's atmosphere?
In this computer-generated artist's concept, the Cassini spacecraft is shown breaking apart after entering Saturn's atmosphere.
When will Cassini fly past Dione?
NASA's Cassini spacecraft will zip past Saturn's moon Dione on Monday, Aug. 17 -- the final close flyby of this icy satellite during the spacecraft's long mission.
What is Dawn's launch vehicle?
Dawn's launch vehicle is a variant of the Delta II known as a Delta 2925H.
What is the narrow F ring on Saturn?
Saturn's rings were named alphabetically in the order they were discovered. The narrow F ring marks the outer boundary of the main ring system. This alternate version highlights the rings in discovery order. ENLARGE.
What rover sent a postcard from Mars?
NASA's Curiosity Rover Sends a Picture Postcard From Mars
When was the T39 radar image obtained?
This synthetic aperture radar image was obtained by the Cassini spacecraft on its recent pass by Titan's south pole on Dec. 20, 2007. This portion of the (T39) swath is of the region extending f...
How old are the saturns?
However, data from Cassini suggest they are much younger, having most likely formed within the last 100 million years, and may thus be between 10 million and 100 million years old.
What are stabilizing resonances?
Stabilizing resonances, on the other hand, are responsible for the longevity of several rings, such as the Titan Ringlet and the G Ring . Well beyond the main rings is the Phoebe ring, which is presumed to originate from Phoebe and thus to share its retrograde orbital motion.
What are the rings of Saturn made of?
The ring particles are made almost entirely of water ice, with a trace component of rocky material.
What is the angle of Saturn's rings?
It is aligned with the plane of Saturn's orbit. Saturn has an axial tilt of 27 degrees, so this ring is tilted at an angle of 27 degrees to the more visible rings orbiting above Saturn's equator. Voyager 2 view of Saturn casting a shadow across its rings.
How many spacecraft have observed Saturn's rings?
Four robotic spacecraft have observed Saturn's rings from the vicinity of the planet. Pioneer 11 ' s closest approach to Saturn occurred in September 1979 at a distance of 20,900 km. Pioneer 11 was responsible for the discovery of the F ring. Voyager 1 ' s closest approach occurred in November 1980 at a distance of 64,200 km.
When did Saturn eclipse the Sun?
The full set of rings, imaged as Saturn eclipsed the Sun from the vantage of the Cassini orbiter, 1.2 million km distant, on 19 July 2013 (brightness is exaggerated). Earth appears as a dot at 4 o'clock, between the G and E rings. The rings of Saturn are the most extensive ring system of any planet in the Solar System.
How are Saturn's rings arranged?
They are arranged in a line parallel to the zodiac, and the middle one (Saturn itself) is about three times the size of the lateral ones.". He also described the rings as Saturn's "ears". In 1612 the Earth passed through the plane of the rings and they became invisible.
What is Saturn's main ring?
Saturn's main ring is the B ring. Ice makes the ring shine, unlike other dark dusty rings of other gas giants
What is the name of the spacecraft that took pictures of an invisible ring?
Cassini spacecraft in 2013 slipped into a shadow taking pictures of almost invisible ring, creating a ring D, and a Ring E.
What are the rings of Uranus?
The rings of Uranus and Neptune, by contrast, are mainly very narrow structures with little in the way of ring matter (other than tiny dust particles) between them . The innermost ring of Uranus is broad, without distinct edges, and difficult to see in Voyager or Earth-based images. Recent advances in instrumentation and image processing have now permitted the viewing of all of the Uranus rings by the Hubble Space Telescope and the Keck Telescope equipped with adaptive optics, including two new rings exterior to those imaged by Voyager 2, but still interior to the orbit of Miranda. Most of Uranus's rings are non-circular, and they are generally somewhat wider at the most distant parts of their orbits than at the closer distances. This is especially noticeable in the outermost of the rings observed by Voyager 2 (the Epsilon ring). The outermost (Adams) ring of Neptune (see Figure 1.4) sports five brighter ring arcs (Courage, Liberte, Egalite 1, Egalite 2, and Fraternite), all confined within about 10% of the ring circumference. One faint ring seems to share the orbit of one of Neptune's satellites (Galatea) and is sometimes called the Galatea ring. Another, known as the Lassell ring, seems to span the approximately 4,000 km between the narrow Arago and Le Verrier rings. Still another, the Galle ring, has a narrow core but diffuses outward and inward about 1,000 km, with no distinct outer or inner edge.
What are the differences between the rings of Jupiter and Saturn?
Composition differences between the ring systems are substantial. Jupiter's ring system is primarily rocky (silicate) material , tiny fragments of several of the small inner moons of Jupiter. The Jupiter ring system appears to be almost completely devoid of icy material, either water ice (H20) or methane ice (CH4). The Saturn ring system, on the other hand, is dominated by water ice, although other constituents, especially rocky materials, are also relatively abundant. The composition of the Uranus and Neptune rings is inferred more on the basis of theoretical modeling than on actual spectral measurements. The Voyager 2 spacecraft, the sole planetary probe to visit these two distant giant planets, did not carry a mass spectrometer, and the narrow rings of Uranus and Neptune were difficult targets for the relatively broad field of view of Voyager 2's infrared spectrometer. However, it is tempting to conclude, because of their darkened surfaces, that the ring particles in these two ring systems are either coated with carbon or composed largely of carbon. The theoretical source of such carbon is methane, which is more abundant in the atmospheres of Uranus and Neptune than in either Jupiter's or Saturn's atmospheres. Methane ice may also be abundant in the icy moons of Uranus and Neptune. Processes which might cause the methane gas or ice to separate into its constituent elements—carbon and hydrogen— have also been proposed. (These processes will be discussed in a later chapter.) Once the carbon and hydrogen are separated, the hydrogen, with its low mass, could more easily escape into interplanetary space, thereby leaving behind it an excess of free carbon to darken the surfaces of the ring particles.
How are the rings of Jupiter different from the other rings?
The ring systems also differ markedly in their physical appearance. Jupiter's ring is confined relatively close to the planet. Because it is primarily composed of dispersed tiny dust particles, the Jupiter ring is almost transparent. In that respect, it is much like dust on an automobile windshield, barely visible except when looking through it toward the Sun. Jupiter's "Main ring'' and its "Gossamer ring'' (the nomenclature will be explained in Chapter 4) are flat and very near the plane of Jupiter's equator; the "Halo" is between the other rings and Jupiter itself, but is spread north and south of Jupiter's equator into an enormous donut shape.
What are the similarities between ring systems?
While the similarities between the ring systems are primarily those that provide a description of planetary ring systems in general, it is the differences that give each ring system its own unique personality and appearance. It is also these individually unique personalities that provide the motivation for this book. Without that diversity, a treatise on planetary ring systems might require little more than a 15-page illustrated magazine article. In this introductory chapter, only a few of the major differences between the ring systems are discussed. In later chapters the individual ring systems will be discussed in detail.
What is the most extensive ring system on Saturn?
Saturn's ring system is the most extensive in a radial direction, reaching nearly to the orbit of its moon Titan, a distance nearly twenty times the radius of the planet. Most of Saturn's rings are thin and near the equator of the planet, but Saturn's outermost ring, its E ring, reaches a vertical thickness of thousands of kilometers in
Is it true that a ring is a ring?
As is apparent from the above, it is patently untrue that "A ring is a ring is a ring!"—hence the need for a book like this one that provides a partial roadmap to the planetary ring systems of which we are presently aware. As new planetary ring systems are discovered and new characteristics of previously known planetary ring systems are disclosed, it will very likely be necessary to expand the contents of this book. In that sense, planetary ring systems are much like their larger cousins, the satellites circling the planets of our solar system: the closer we examine them, the more complex and varied they become. However, in many ways it is that very complexity that may eventually provide the key to a relatively complete understanding of their origins, their present characteristics, and their eventual fates.
How thin are Saturn's rings?
Today it is known that, while Saturn’s rings are enormous, they are also extremely thin. The major rings have a diameter of 270,000 km (170,000 miles), yet their thickness does not exceed 100 metres (330 feet), and their total mass is only about 1.5 × 10 19 kg, about 0.41 times the mass of Saturn’s moon Mimas ( see below Significant satellites ). The entire ring system spans nearly 26,000,000 km (16,000,000 miles) when the faint outer rings are included. ( See figure.)
What are the three rings on Saturn?
The main ring system shows structures on many scales, ranging from the three broad major rings—named C, B, and A (in order of increasing distance from Saturn)—that are visible from Earth down to myriad individual component ringlets having widths on the order of kilometres. The structures have provided scientists a fertile field for investigating gravitational resonances and the collective effects of many small particles orbiting in close proximity. Although many of the structures have been explained theoretically, a large number remain enigmatic, and a complete synthesis of the system is still lacking. Because Saturn’s ring system may be an analogue of the original disk-shaped system of particles out of which the planets formed, an understanding of its dynamics and evolution has implications for the origin of the solar system itself ( see solar system: Origin of the solar system ).
What is the optical depth of Saturn?
Optical depth is a measure of the amount of electromagnetic radiation that is absorbed in passing through a medium—e.g., a cloud, the atmosphere of a planet, or a region of particles in space.
What was Galileo's first observation of Saturn?
In 1610 Galileo ’s first observations of Saturn with a primitive telescope prompted him to report: Cassini: Saturn. Image of Saturn captured by Cassini during the first radio occultation observation of the planet, 2005. Occultation refers to the orbit design, which situated Cassini and Earth on opposite sides of Saturn's rings.
Why is Saturn's ring system an analogue of the original disk-shaped system of particles out of which?
Because Saturn’s ring system may be an analogue of the original disk-shaped system of particles out of which the planets formed, an understanding of its dynamics and evolution has implications for the origin of the solar system itself ( see solar system: Origin of the solar system ).
How does a ring get charged?
Material from the rings can become charged through photoionization or by micrometeorite impact. Once charged, this material can migrate into the planet’s ionosphere by following magnetic field lines. Between 432 and 2,870 kg (952 and 6,327 pounds) of ring material fall into the ionosphere every second.
How old are ice rings?
Because the rings have such a low mass, it is likely that they are very young, between 10 and 100 million years old.
Overview
The rings of Saturn are the most extensive ring system of any planet in the Solar System. They consist of countless small particles, ranging in size from micrometers to meters, that orbit around Saturn. The ring particles are made almost entirely of water ice, with a trace component of rocky material. There is still no consensus as to their mechanism of formation. Although theoretical models indicated that the rings were likely to have formed early in the Solar System's history, ne…
History
Galileo Galilei was the first to observe the rings of Saturn in 1610 using his telescope, but was unable to identify them as such. He wrote to the Duke of Tuscany that "The planet Saturn is not alone, but is composed of three, which almost touch one another and never move nor change with respect to one another. They are arranged in a line parallel to the zodiac, and the middle one (Saturn itself) is about three times the size of the lateral ones." He also described the rings as Sa…
Saturn's axial inclination
Saturn's axial tilt is 26.7°, meaning that widely varying views of the rings, of which the visible ones occupy its equatorial plane, are obtained from Earth at different times. Earth makes passes through the ring plane every 13 to 15 years, about every half Saturn year, and there are about equal chances of either a single or three crossings occurring in each such occasion. The most recent ring plane crossings were on 22 May 1995, 10 August 1995, 11 February 1996 and 4 Sept…
Physical characteristics
The dense main rings extend from 7,000 km (4,300 mi) to 80,000 km (50,000 mi) away from Saturn's equator, whose radius is 60,300 km (37,500 mi) (see Major subdivisions). With an estimated local thickness of as little as 10 m and as much as 1 km, they are composed of 99.9% pure water ice with a smattering of impurities that may include tholins or silicates. The main rings are primarily composed of particles ranging in size from 1 cm to 10 m.
Formation and evolution of main rings
Estimates of the age of Saturn's rings vary widely, depending on the approach used. They have been considered to possibly be very old, dating to the formation of Saturn itself. However, data from Cassini suggest they are much younger, having most likely formed within the last 100 million years, and may thus be between 10 million and 100 million years old. This recent origin scenario is based on a new, low mass estimate, modeling of the rings' dynamical evolution, and measureme…
D Ring
The D Ring is the innermost ring, and is very faint. In 1980, Voyager 1 detected within this ring three ringlets designated D73, D72 and D68, with D68 being the discrete ringlet nearest to Saturn. Some 25 years later, Cassini images showed that D72 had become significantly broader and more diffuse, and had moved planetward by 200 km.
Present in the D Ring is a finescale structure with waves 30 km apart. First seen in the gap betw…
C Ring
The C Ring is a wide but faint ring located inward of the B Ring. It was discovered in 1850 by William and George Bond, though William R. Dawes and Johann Galle also saw it independently. William Lassell termed it the "Crepe Ring" because it seemed to be composed of darker material than the brighter A and B Rings.
Its vertical thickness is estimated at 5 m, its mass at around 1.1 × 10 kg, and its optical depth vari…
B Ring
The B Ring is the largest, brightest, and most massive of the rings. Its thickness is estimated as 5 to 15 m and its optical depth varies from 0.4 to greater than 5, meaning that >99% of the light passing through some parts of the B Ring is blocked. The B Ring contains a great deal of variation in its density and brightness, nearly all of it unexplained. These are concentric, appearing as narrow ringlets, though the B Ring does not contain any gaps. In places, the outer edge of the B …