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[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Cassini Detail Images

I created a new thread to highlight the incoming images from the probe, as the others might get lost in the events leading up to this fine event.

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The Enke division clearly visible, I am facinated at the regular divisions of the ring pattern. Every so often there is a brighter ring to "corral" the material in precise orbits. The wavy aspects of the inner rings have the "Scalloped" contour shape to them. What the hell is that all about? And I can't decipher what the fading concentric brighter lines to the left of the image would represent. In this perspective, it's rather difficult to make things out. It rather looks like hypnotic spinning wheels.

What about the white specks, are they stars seen thru the rings? A catch the moving debris in the center of the gap.

Just look at this pattern of the rings. They are quite regular and symetrical. It reminds me of sand on a shore, which is not a bad analogy. The gravity wells of Saturn could extend outward in waves like ripples in a pond. But what causes the pulsing of the waves to create this. Too cool.

I hope we all get the chance to visualize individual pieces of the field. The color ones are coming soon.

Thanks to starbux for the very first images of the ring system in the previous thread. Those were great. I did not see them else where.

All images courtesy of NASA and ESA

[stargazer]

Hey Joe,

I went into the CassininMision web site and saw the pics you have posted. On the NASA site they dont have the white specs in the same pic. So at this point I cant tell you what they are. Sorry.

B

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Two lines of thought on the specks...

1. They are indeed stars shining thru the gap with a moving object streaking across. NASA cleaned it up for the public...or

2. That the ring system is too bright and the exposure time to capture an image would be a very short one...therefore not enough to capture starlight. Then it would be radio noise. The same phenomenon on why no stars show in lunar landing pics. Just too bright.

But I learn toward the 1st. NASA is always altering images for unknown purposes. I would trust the ESA images before the ones from NASA.

The color ones will be spectacular!.

[NatureDevil]

I wonder what is causing those ripples...that wave effect. That was the first thing to jump out right at me.

It doesn't seem like it would be something related to gravitation....more like a light or sound kinda thing, if it was possible. I am really going to have to research this one.

NatureDevil

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Regarding the waves...

Maybe the ring system is producing an electrical-magnetic resonance, and the edges of the boundries...ripple in response. If we had a live microphone on board Cassini, perhaps we could actually listen to the "Hum" of the rings.

Did you ever spend moments watching a smoke ring exist? On the few occasions that I fill my pipe with black cavendish, the smoke rings turns into itself...staying equal while twisting into a smoke tube. Smoke in itself are tiny particles, could be a poor man's model for the ring system.

Here's an interesting Solar smoke ring. I wonder what brand.

I think there are many independant convection currents within the rings.

This image again looks like the individual rings are tubular instead of flat..could be an indication of internal convection currents at work, ala smoke rings

This is an interesting explanation why smoke rings behave in the manner that they do: www.amasci.com/wing/smring.html

As more images come in, we can better speculate on the mechanics.

Perhaps Holst's composition wasn't that far off!

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Here's an updated image of Cassini.

Two Waves in One Spectacular Image of Saturn's Rings
July 1, 2004 Full-Res: PIA06093

This image shows a bending wave (right) and density wave in Saturn's A ring, interior to the Encke Gap. It was taken by the narrow angle camera on the Cassini spacecraft after successful entry into Saturn's orbit. The view shows the dark, or unlit, side of the rings. (From NASA)

The composition of the ring system is just a facinating subject for examination. These "highways" of particle matter staying in neat organized rows is just to unbelievable. In this one, they are larger, get smaller and then return to a larger lane. You can even see a few stars showing thru the gaps.

It's almost as if a a microscope is being used to examine the rings.

I hope we get closer shots of this.

[stargazer]

Joe,

I talked to a very good friend of mine over the weekend who is a Scientist and a member of the AAS (American Astronomical Society) and asked him about th rippling of the rings. This is his reply-

"The Cassini Spacecraft is now in orbit around Saturn. Already previous ideas are shattered as new data flows in. Titan appears to be like a murkey planet looking like a melted Ice Cream Sunday. New data on the rings is also causing us to revise our thinking in this area as well. The scallopped edges of the ring is caused by the gravitational influence of Saturn's moon Pan. There is much more to come from Cassini in the near future. Stay tuned. "

I hope this helps you. I was courious myself when I asked him. Then he threw in this little tidbit for me that I thought I would also share with you guys.

"Pan is only 20 kilometer's wide so it is comparativley close to the structure of the ring it's affecting. More than just one ring wabbles as others are also influenced by the varied and less formative and irregular icy moons that orbit the planet. The Encke Gap was created by repeated passages of the tiny icy moon. The Encke Gap is not more than 300 kilometer's wide."

Well now that we've had our lesson for Monday morning. I guess even at our age we learn something new everyday.

B

[stargazer]

I wasnt sure where to put this so I figured I was put it here. I was reading an article from Astrobiology about Saturn's Rings and I thought you guys might like to read it. It is all about Oygen in Saturns Rings. Very Interesting. Here is a link to the story.

www.astrobio.net/news/article1057.html

Its not very long but well worth the reading. I didnt even know Saturn had Oxygen in its Rings.

Hope you guys enjoy reading it.

B

[Al Degutis]

I don't have a link to the article, but I recall reading recently it is now believed that the famous Cassini gap may be filled with dirty particles. Talk about ring-around-the-collar.

Al

[stargazer]

I recieved an email from NASA about the rings of Saturn. They are now saying the rings are made up of ice and mud. Now someone please tell me how did mud get to Saturn. It will def be itereseting to see what they find out about the lovely ringed planet. I know I ove looking at it throught the scope and the bino's. One of these days I am going to put one of the powermates on it with the 9.5mm ep and see what I can see.

[Al Degutis]

Here's some more dirt on Saturn's rings.

Saturn's rings in UV
Cassini sees Saturn's rings in a different light.
by Francis Reddy
tinyurl.com/6xnob

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

By now we have all seen the colorized image of Saturn's Ring system by Cassini. But it leads to a question...

There seems to be a delicate and precise weave of ring particles surrounding the planet. All placed where they are supposed to be in direct relation to their mass and composition. But now what will happen when man makes his presence known there? I think that any external influence on the rings will alter them and send them scattered in different orbits - much like disrupting smoke hanging in mid air.

How long did it take for the particles to form the flattened plane? You know that it's in man's destructive nature to urge him/her to "just" nudge a spot to see the wave, or sail on thru like a dirt biker. I am afraid unless policed, that the ring system would be a wonder of the past.

Just a thought.

[starbux]

Well one thing deep-space probes have shown is that for gas-giants, ring systems (of one form or another) appears to be the norm, at least for our solar-system. What is puzzling is why Saturn has such a promenent set. Is there an unknown process of renewal that's not as active for the other giants, or was there some relatively recent event at Saturn that we have the fortune to be privy to in this telescopic age?

I wonder how interesting Saturn would be without the rings, and not counting Titan. Certainly the cloud bands would be somewhat interesting, and actually I find them more colorful than Jupiter's even in a small scope, kind of a Pousse-Cafe effect.

Which is kind of appropriate since Saturn is lighter than water. "Saturn: The Pousse-Cafe Planet"

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

I like Pousse drinks. It's like having many different drinks in one! Haven't had one in quite awhile tho.

Perhaps Saturn picked up the rubble from the asteroid belt. Mars got battered by it, Jupiter's gravitation either sucked them up or flung the particles outward...and Saturn, and to a lesser degree, Neptune and Uranus swept and picked them up to form the rings.

The ancients talk about a planet that once orbited between Mars and Jupiter that blew up. It would explain why Mars got devastated, and the un-natural void that is there...including the rubble.

[stargazer]

Even though we are now circling the ringed planet we will not distrubed the rings at all. The orbit we took through the rings was the safest and less evasive. We dont wnt to injur them in any way just study them.

B

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

One Year Since Insertion

Can you believe it? It's almost one year since Cassini entered Saturn orbit and gave us the cool pics of the Saturnian ring system! We also got to see the surface of another world, Titan, that almost looks like a sandy shore here on Earth.

Hail Cassini and her probe, Huygens!...

Money well spent, and I would gladly give the money that our local politicians are squandering.