This is how Saturn's rings roll

[n2doc]

Spiky vertical structures rise as high as 1.6 miles (2.5 kilometers) above the plane of Saturn's rings, as seen in an image captured by the Cassini orbiter two weeks before the planet's equinox in August 2009. Scientists believe the spikes are the result of a "splash effect" created by moonlets on the outer edge of Saturn's B ring.


Alan Boyle writes: The scientists behind the Cassini mission to Saturn say they have figured out the reasons behind the irregularities in the behavior of the most dynamic regions in Saturn's rings. They're due to a combination of natural oscillations that are amplified by the motions of the ring particles themselves -- plus an extra disturbance created by the moon Mimas.

The scientists also have discovered two regions within the rings that are the likely homes of moonlets yet to be discovered.

The lessons gained by watching the rings can also be applied to understanding how planetary systems and galaxies work, said Carolyn Porco, leader of Cassini's imaging team at the Colorado-based Space Science Institute.

more

http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/11/01/5390744-this-is-how-saturns-rings-roll

[madmax]

1. Yes, but

did he VOTE! ;)

[mike_c]

2. any theories about where the mass comes from...?

Prior collisions in planetary orbit? Simply captured by Saturn during it's primary coalescence or swept up from it's early orbital debris? And will the moons/moonlets eventually sweep the rings up entirely? I suppose I should have learned this stuff back in the day, but those undergrad courses are beginning to slip into oblivion, LOL. :rofl:

[hunter]

3. When you play the music backwards on your cosmic turntable...

... it says "Paul is dead."