SaturnRing isSolar system planetsOfPlanetary ringThe most prominent and obvious one in the ring is countless small particles ranging in size from micrometers to meters, orbiting around Saturn in clusters.The particles in the ring are mainly composed ofWater iceAnd some dust and other chemicalsmaterial。
Although the reflection of the ring can increase Saturn'sApparent magnitude(brightness), but the ring is still invisible to the naked eye from the earth.In 1610, when the telescope pointed to the sky for the first time, Galileo became the first person to observe Saturn's rings, although he could not clearly see the nature of the rings.In 1655, Huygens became the first person to describe a ring as a disk around Saturn.
Although many people believe that Saturn's rings are accumulated by many tiny rings (this concept can be traced back to Laplace), and there are a few real gaps.The more correct idea is that these rings are concentric, but have density and brightnessextremumRing disc of.On the scale of clusters, there are many empty spaces between rings.
There are some gaps in the middle of the ring: two have been known to be generated with satellites buried in the ringTrack resonanceThe cause of other gaps is unknown.Stable resonance, on the other hand, also maintains the long-term existence of some rings, such as Titan rings.[7]
The cause of the halo formation is not very clear, and it is speculated that it may be caused bycomet、asteroidWith largerSatellite collisionComposed of fragments produced after.
Saturn's ring structure is complex and diverse.The halos are so many that they look like a huge oneCompact discThe spiral pattern of the upper circle.All rings are made of fragments of different sizesParticle compositionThere is a wide difference in size, the big one can reach tens of meters, and the small one can only be a few centimeters or more.They are covered with a layer of ice crust, becausesunlightAnd formed a moving bright halo.
For a long time, the formation of this halo has been a hot issue for astronomers to study.In December 2010, Nature published an article discussing the latest achievements on this matter.The article said that millions of years ago, a satellite collided with the atmosphere surrounding Saturn under the gravity of Saturn.Later, Saturn absorbed the ice around the Death Star and finally formed a beautiful halo.
Saturn Ring[8]
Previously, people believed that,SaturnThe rings are the result of the collision of their satellites or the collision of foreign nebulae with Saturn, but astronomers found that Saturn's rings are mainly composed of ice (95%).Therefore, it may be the result of a collision between an "ice shell satellite" and Saturn's peripheral materials.The rest of the Death Star fell into Saturn due to its heavy weightatmosphere。[1]
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Saturn's rings are composed of countless ice particles, which form seven different layers around Saturn.[8]
Figure 1 Saturn Ring
Saturn's ring can actually be divided into several different parts, the brightest and broadest are A and B rings, and the darker is C ring.There are obvious cracks between each part of the halo. The largest crack is the Cassini crack between ring A and ring B. It was discovered by Giovanni Cassini in 1675.The Encke seam in ring A was discovered by Johann Encke in 1837.Through the spacecraft's exploration, people also found that the wider ring is actually composed of many narrow rings.
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A-ring
Figure 2 Saturn A Ring
A ring is the largest and brightest ring in the outer layer, and its inner boundary isCassini division And its clear outer boundary is very close to the orbit of the small satellite Atlas.Ring A is measured at 22% of the ring width from the outer edgeEnke circular seamInterrupt.From the outer edge, there is a narrowKeeler gap 。As shown in Figure 2
The thickness of ring A is estimated to be between 10m and 30m, and its mass is 6.2 × 10 ^ 18kg (about the mass of Happelian). Its light depth varies between 0.4 and 1.0.
Similar to ring B, the outer edge of ring A is also affected byTrack resonanceIt has a 7:6 orbital resonance with Jenas and Epimetheus.Other orbital resonances also excite many spirals in the A ringDensity wave(and, to a lesser extent, other rings also have), and occupy the majority of the structure.These waves and descriptionsGalaxyThe physics of the spiral arm wave is the same.Spiral bending waves also appear in the A ring and are described by the same theory. In the ring, they are vertical grooves instead ofCompressional wave。
Enke circular seam
Enke Loop Gap is a 325km wide gap in Ring A, and its center is 133590km away from the center of Saturn. It is caused by Pan, a small moon orbiting in the ring.From CassinispacecraftOfImage displayAt least three thin, tangled small rings exist in the gap.Spiral density wave can be seen on both sides, which is opposite to the satellite from the outside in the vicinityTrack resonanceThese spirals are particularly active under the induction of cyclonepan (refer to the atlas).
This ring was discovered by James Edward Keeler in 1888. John Enke himself has not observed this ring gap. It is used to honor his observation of the ring.
Because it is completely within ring A, Enke circular seam is acrevice。In 2008International Astronomical UnionBefore this explanation,gapanddivisionIn a sense, some simulations are ambiguous, but before that, Enke circumferential fracture was sometimes called Enke fracture.
Keeler gap
Keeler's Loop Gap is a 42km wide gap located about 250km away from the outer edge of the A ring. It is named after the astronomer James Edward Keeler.On May 1, 2005, a small satellite was found in the gap, which cleared the areaDaphneThis satellite also causes ripples at the edge of the gap.
Small satellite
In 2006, fourSmall satellitestayCassiniIt is found in the A-ring image taken (refer to the atlas).The diameter of these small satellites is only a few hundred meters, because they are too small to be seen directly.Cassini saw these small moonspropellerIt is estimated that there are hundreds of such small bodies in the A ring.In 2007, more than 8 small objects were discovered, which created a 3000 km long spoiler belt, about 130000 km away from the center of Saturn.More than 150 thruster satellites have been detected.
B ring
The B ring is the largest, brightest and most massive of all rings.Its thickness is estimated to be 5-15m, its mass is 2.8 × 10kg, and its light depth varies from 0.4 to 2.5, which means that nearly 99% of the light passing through the B ring will be blocked.Almost all the changes in density and luminosity of ring B have not been reasonably explained.B ring isConcentric circleAlthough there are many narrow small rings, ring B does not contain any gaps.
Prior to 1980, the structure of Saturn's rings was entirely based onUniversal gravitationUntil the image of the navigator showsB ringThere are radial features called spokes on the, which cannot be explained in this way.Because their duration andRotation periodIn accordance withTrack mechanicsThe rings of are inconsistent.These spokes appear dark in the background scattered light and bright in the foreground scattered light.(Refer to atlas) The dominant theory believes that they are tiny dust particles, suspended on the ring plane due to electrostatic repulsion on the main ring, so their rotation is synchronous with Saturn's magnetosphere.However, the exact mechanism that causes the spokes is still unclear, although it is suggested that these electronic interferences may come from lightning released in Saturn's atmosphere orMicrometeoroidImpact on Saturn's rings.
Until 25 yearsrear wheelFucai was observed again by the Cassini spacecraft.When Cassini arrived at Saturn in early 2004, its spokes were not seen.Some scientists speculate that the spokes will not be seen until 2007 according to the model they tried to describe the formation of the spokes. However, Cassini's image team searched the retained images of Saturn's rings and saw the spokes on September 5, 2005.
The appearance of spokes seems to haveSeasonalityThe change phenomenon in SaturnMidwinterOr disappear in midsummer when Saturn approachesEquinoxTime comes again.It is suggested that the spokes may play a seasonal role. With the change of Saturn's orbit in 29.7 years, this also supports the gradual increase of spokes in Cassini's mission in the next few years.
C-ring
Figure 4 Saturn C Ring
The C-ring isB ringThe wide but dim ring on the inside was discovered by William and George Bond in 1850, but William RDawesAnd John·galle It can also be seen independently.William Lassell It is called "black gauze ring" because it is darker than the bright A ring and B ring.As shown in Figure 4
It is estimated that the vertical thickness of the C ring is only 5 meters, the mass is about 1.1 × 10 kg, and the light depth varies from 0.05 to 0.12.That is to say, only 5% to 12% of the light passing through the ring vertically will be blocked by the ring, so when looking at the ring from the top or bottom, it is almost transparent.
Colombo joint and Titan ring
Colombo slit is located on the inner side of the C ring. There is a bright and narrow Colombo ring in the slit. The center is 77883 kilometers away from the center of Saturn. This ring is slightly elliptical rather than perfectly round.This little ring is affected by TitanTrack resonanceThe constraints of the Titan ring are sometimes called Titan rings.At this position in the ring, the particle on the ringArch pointPrecessionThe period ofOrbital periodJust the same, so the outer end of the eccentric ring always points to Titan.
Maxwell sewing
Maxwell is sewn on the outside of the C ring. It also has a dense but not round Maxwell small ring.In many details, this small ring andUranusThe ε ring of is similar.There are wave like structures in the middle of both rings. The wave in Uranus's ε ring is caused by Cardoria, but as of July 2008, no satellite has been found in or near the Maxwell slit.
D-ring
Fig. 5 Saturn D-ring
D ring is the most side ring and is very weak.In 1980,Voyager 1 It is detected that there is a small ring in it, marked as D73, D72 and D68 are the small rings closest to Saturn and separated.25 years later,CassiniThe image shows that D72 has obviously become weaker and moved 200 kilometers toward Saturn.The gap between C ring and D73 is a fine scale structure separating 30 km wavelength.As shown in Figure 5
Astral characteristics
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Saturn's rings are wide and thin in addition to being bright.Saturn's ring extends to the vast space beyond Saturn. The outermost ring of Saturn is 10-15 Saturn's radius from the center of Saturn. The width of Saturn's ring is 200000 kilometers, and more than ten Earths can be arranged side by side on the ring surface. If you roll a globe the size of Earth on it, it looks like a rubber ballSidewalkScroll up.The main Saturn rings vary in width from 48 km to 302000 kmEnglish letterSaturn's rings from near to far are named D, C, B, A, F, G and E. Saturn and Saturn's rings were formed in the early formation of the solar system when the sun wasCosmic dustEncircled by Angstrom and gas, Saturn and Saturn's rings finally formed.Saturn's rings are thin.We can also see twinkling stars on the side behind the rings through Saturn's rings on the earth. The thickness of Saturn's rings is estimated to be no more than 150 kilometers.Therefore, when the side of the halo turned to us, people far away from the earth looked at the 150 km thick Saturn ring like a thin sheet of paper - the halo "disappeared".Every 15 years, the halo will disappear.
The strange rings of Saturn are locatedSaturn equatorIn plane, andEarth revolutionIn the same way, the equatorial surface of Saturn moves around the sunTrack planeThere is an included angle between them, which is 27 °, causing the change of Saturn's ring pattern.We will "look up" Saturn's ring for a while, and "look down" Saturn's ring for a while. At this time, Saturn's ring looks beautifulBroad edgeStraw hat.Other times, it looks like a flat disk, or suddenly disappears, because we are "looking up" at the halo, and even the best telescope can't find its "trace".1950-1951 and 1995-1996 were the years when Saturn's rings disappeared.
Ring discrimination
There's also a dim one hidden in Saturn's ringlight spotThat is our earth.However, it may not be wrong to say that Saturn's ring evolved from a satellite. Through the data sent back by Cassini in 2007, scientists found enough evidence to verify this theory at least in one of Saturn's rings, the G ring.The G ring is located at the outer side of Saturn's ring. In 1979, Voyager accidentally found this ring when flying through Saturn. The ring is near Enceladus, which is only 15000 kilometers away from the G ring, but the G ring was not broken down into dust clouds by Enceladus.With the help of the data sent back by the Cassini, scientists found that there was a bright arc structure at the inner side of the G ring, which was composed of rocks with a diameter of tens of meters. It was these rocks that were broken down into part of the G ring after continuous collision.Scientists explained that there was once a satellite in the G ring, but for unknown reasons, it disintegrated and evolved into a ring, and Cassini happened to see this evolutionThe last act。
The F ring adjacent to the G ring is also a halo of great interest to scientists.The uniqueness of this ring is that it often changes its shape to make itself become a kink.Scientists speculate that there may be undiscovered small satellites in the F ring. When they pass through the ring, they will affect the shape of the ring.In June 2008, scientists《natural》The magazine published their latest research results on the ring. They said that such small satellites do exist in the F ring, and the ring is also affected byPrometheusandPandoraThey are located on the inside and outside of the F ring respectively, and their joint action will bind and squeeze the F ring, causing it to cross.Titan also passes through the F ring along an elliptical orbit, and each time it passes through the F ring, it will drag a groove on the F ring, and the resulting gravity will bend and stretch the F ring, thus twisting it into a spiral shape.Scientists say that the study of F ring is of great significance, which helps us understand othergas giant The complex interaction between the ring and the satellite will become our understandingPlanetary ringImportant basis for.
Compared with F ring, Saturn's A ring and B ring attract more attention of scientists.Scientists frequently find new lumps in the A ring. Most of them are about 100 meters in diameter, and their number has reached dozens.This made scientists realize that there are many such small satellites around Saturn, probably millionspanandEnceladusIt is only the largest of them, which indicates that in addition to the larger satellite and smaller particles, the "middle size" material in Saturn's ring is also very important.This discovery will help people to re understand the formation theory of Saturn's rings and even the whole solar system.There is only one "seam" between ring A and ring B. This "seam" is Cassini seam.Across the Cassini slit is the wide B ring. The biggest mystery on the B ring is its radiation stripes, which are dust caused by static electricitycloud clusterThey were discovered in the 1980s, but until now, there are still different interpretations of them.One explanation is that they originated on SaturnthunderstormAnd lightning, another explanation is due toMeteoriteCollision orsolar windImpact of particles.Scientists found that the brightness of these stripes seems to change with the seasons of Saturn. It is most obvious in Saturn's spring and autumn. In August, Saturn will go beyond the point. At that time, scientists engaged in the Cassini mission will carefully observe the B ring. Maybe the mystery of radiation stripes on the B ring will be more reasonably explained soon.
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Table 1
name
Distance from Saturn (to the center, in kilometers)
The most dense area of Saturn's rings isCassini division (in 1675 byCassiniFound) Separated A-ring andB ringSome of them are similar to Yucassini, which was discovered in 1850C-ring, these constituteMain ring。The main ring is dense and contains smaller thanDust ringLarger particles, which containD-ring, and G and E rings outside the main ring system.The term "dust" is used to describe small particles scattered in the ring (usually only micrometers in size);Their chemical composition is like the main ring, almost completelyCrushed ice。The narrow F ring, just at the outer edge of A ring, is difficult to classify. Its part is very dense, but it also contains many dust sized particles.
Figure 6
Figure 6 explains that:CassiniOfSmall anglemovie cameraPhotographed images in natural colorsMosaicAnd from left to right are D, C, B, A and F rings on the side not receiving light.
Notes:The distance is measured to the center of the ring seam. The difference between the ring and the small ring is whether the width of the ring is less than 1000 km
unofficialUnless otherwise specified, the name ofInternational Astronomical Uniondesignated.The wider separation between the rings will be namedcrack, the narrow gap between the rings is calledSewing '
The data are mainly from the Gazette of Planetary Nomenclature and NASA factsheet
Figure 7
Picture explanation: oblique (4 degree angle)CassiniFrom left to right, Saturn's C, B and A rings are in order. The weak F ring is in the upper part of the large enough picture and can be seen in sufficient light.The small angle camera of Cassini took pictures in natural colorsSmooth surfaceThe ring is a mosaic image taken on December 12, 2004.Figure 7: A radio on 3 May 2005OccultationThe following image shows the size of particles in the ring in color.
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Figure 8 Saturn Ring
Halos may contain a lot of water, and they are composed of ice and snow balls with diameters ranging from a few centimeters to several meters.The structure of some halos, such as the F ring, has changed slightly under the pull of the adjacent satellite gravity.Scientists inVoyagerA picture sent back by the spacecraft found that Saturn's wide B ring had a radial shadow, but it was not found in other pictures taken by Voyager since then.It is speculated that this phenomenon may be caused by the fact that the halo sometimes carries static electricity and the dust floating in the universe is adsorbed.
Astronomical discovery
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Figure 9 Saturn Ring
In 1610,ItalyGalileo, an astronomer, observed strange appendages near Saturn's spherical body.In 1659,NetherlandsHuygens, a scholar, recognized that this was the halo that left the noumenon.In 1675, Italian astronomer Cassini discovered that there was a dark slit in the middle of Saturn's ring, which was later calledCassini circular seam。He also speculated that the halo is composed of numerous small particles.More than two centuries laterSpectroscopicThe observation confirmed his conjecture.But during these two hundred years, Saturn's rings were usually regarded as one or several flat disks of solid matter.Until 1856, British physicistmaxwellIt is theoretically proved that Saturn's rings are innumerableSmall satellitestaySaturn equatorA system of matter rotating around Saturn on the plane.
Figure 10 Saturn Ring
Saturn's rings are located in theEquatorial surfaceOn.staySpace explorationPreviously, fromGround observationIt is known that Saturn has five rings, including three main rings (A ring, B ring, C ring) and twoDark ring(D-ring, E-ring).The B ring is wide and bright, with the C ring on the inside and the A ring on the outside.The area between ring A and ring B is about 5000km wideCassini division It was discovered by astronomer Cassini in 1675.The inner radius of ring B is 91500 kilometers, the outer radius is 116500 kilometers, and the width is 25000 kilometers. Two Earths can be placed side by side.The inner radius of ring A is 121500 km, the outer radius is 137000 km, and the width is 15500 km.The C ring is very dark. It starts from theInner edgeIt extends to only 12000 kilometers away from the surface of Saturn and is about 19000 kilometers wide.In 1969, a darker D ring was found inside the C ring, which almost touched the surface of Saturn.There is also an E ring outside the A ring, which is composed of very sparse material fragments, extending beyond the radius of five or six Saturn.In September 1979, Pioneer 11 detected two new rings - F ring and G ring.The F ring is very narrow, less than 800 kilometers wide, and 2.33 Saturn radii away from the center of Saturn, just outside the A ring.The G ring is far away from Saturn, and is distributed in a wide area about 10~15 Saturn radii away from the center of Saturn.Pioneer 11 also measured the position and width of A ring, B ring, C ring and Cassini seam, and the results were similar to those observed on the ground.The ultraviolet glow observation of Pioneer 11 found a huge hydrogen cloud around Saturn's visible ring.The ring itself is the source of the hydrogen cloud.All rings except A ring, B ring and C ring are very weak.The inclination of Saturn's equator and orbit is relatively large. Seen from the earth, Saturn shows a north-south swing, which results in the shape of Saturn's ringPeriodic change。After careful observation, it is found that in addition to Cassini slit, there are several slits in Saturn's ring, which are regions with low particle density, but most of them are incomplete and temporary.Only the Enke seam in ring A isPermanentHowever, the circumferential seam is also incomplete.Scientists believe that these circumferential seams areSaturn satelliteThe gravitational resonance ofJupiterCaused by the huge gravitational perturbation ofAsteroid beltInKirkwoodThe seams are the same."Pioneer" 11 found a new circular seam between ring A and ring F, called "Pioneer Seam", and measured the width of Enke Seam to be 876 kilometers.American astronomers are credited with clarifying the nature of Saturn's rings through observationKeelerHe reflected light from Saturn's ring in 1895Doppler shiftIt is found that Saturn's ring is not a solid disk, but a large group of particles rotating around Saturn in an independent orbit.Saturn RingOccultationIt does not completely block the hidden starlight, which also shows that Saturn's ring is composed of separated particles.Reflected from Saturn's ring in 1972radar echoIt is known that the particle of the ring is an ice block with a diameter between 4 and 30 cm.
physical characteristics
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Use modern small telescopes or high-quality onesBinocularsSaturn's rings can be seen.Dense mainAnnular bandIt extends from 7000 kilometers above the equator to 80000 kilometers, but its thickness is estimated to be only 10 meters,[2]And 99.9% of them are ice, perhaps mixed with a few impurities, such asOrganic compoundTorinorsilicate。In the main ringParticle sizeIt ranges from 1cm to 10m.[3]
The largest gap in the ring, such as Cassini seam andEnke circular seamBoth can be seen from the earth. Both the two navigators found that the ring is actually a complex structure composed of tens of thousands of thin small rings and gaps.There are many ways to create these structures, as well as gravitational pull from Saturn's many moons.Some gaps are cleared by tiny satellites, such as Pan. There may be many undetected gaps, and some rings areShepherd Dog SatelliteThe gravity ofPrometheusandPandoraF-ring under maintenance.).Other gaps may be caused by resonance with the orbital period of the satellite with large mass,EnceladusTo maintain the existence of Cassini rift, there are more annular structures that generate spiral waves due to periodic disturbances from other satellites.
The data from the Cassini spacecraft shows that Saturn's ring has its own atmosphere, independent of the planet itself.Oxygen molecules in the atmosphere (Otwo）This is the ultraviolet light from the sun and the ice in the ringInteractionResulting from.waterThe chain links between molecules are stimulated by ultraviolet rays to produce chemical action and release gases, especially Otwo。According to these atmospheric models, there is also Htwo，OtwoAnd HtwoThe atmosphere of is very thin, but inexplicably condensed around the ring, its thickness is only one atom.There are also sparseOH（Hydrogen oxide）Gas, like OtwoSimilarly, these gases are also caused by the disintegration of water molecules. The high-energy ions that disintegrate water molecules by bombardment areEnceladusThrown.Although the atmosphere is very thin, it is still above the earthHubble Space TelescopeDetected.
Saturn shows a complex pattern in its brightness. Most of the brightness changes can be attributed to changes in the rings, and there are two cycles of changes in each orbital period.However, due to theEccentricity, so that superimposed onNorthern HemisphereIt is brighter when rushing than when rushing in the southern hemisphere.[4]
In 1980, when the Voyager 1 flew over Saturn, it showed that the F-ring was tangled by three thin rings like braids, showing a complex structure;In 2014, we knew that there were protruding tumors on the two outer rings, which caused the illusion of knitting and tangle, while the less bright third ring was on their inner side.
New ring
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Figure 11 New invisible ring discovered by Spitzer Space Telescope
According to the United KingdomDaily MailIt is reported that recently, astronomers passed NASASpitzer Space Telescope Saturn's "super size" ring structure was observed, which they had not previously detected.Through measurement, the vertical height of the ring structure is 20 times the diameter of Saturn, and the diameter of Saturn is 9 times that of the Earth.This mysterious ring structure can hold 1 billion Earths![5]
Extinction
Figure 12 A new study shows that Saturn is nibbling at the rings around it
In December 2018,American SpaceA new study by the Bureau shows that Saturn is "eating" the rings orbiting Saturn, which is mainly caused byWater iceThe grain belt may disappear in less than 100 million years.[6]
Return of halo
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In addition, there are many new discoveries on Saturn's rings. For example, the D ring has become darker and moved more than 100 kilometers in the direction of Saturn. The mass of Saturn's rings is actually larger than previously estimated, and the surface is more rough. These discoveries are likely to completely overturn people's previous understanding of the origin and life of Saturn's rings.Since Voyager's visit to Saturn, people have always believed that Saturn's rings are very young and may have originated on EarthThe age of dinosaursHowever, new research shows that Saturn's rings andsolar systemIt is also ancient, and may exist for billions of years.Part of the reason for believing that Saturn's ring is very young comes from a simple common sense. If an object is bright and bright, it may be a new object. All things are the same. Although Saturn's ring exists in the boundless universe, it should not be exceptional. If it has existed in the universe for 4.5 billion years like Saturn, its broadtorusWhy not be polluted by the dust in the universe, but still bright and clean?So scientists used to think that Saturn's ring was not always there. It was generated by an accident about 100 million years ago. Maybe it was a planet from outside the solar system that was torn up near Saturn by Saturn's huge tidal force and evolved into a ring, perhaps acometThey collided with one of Saturn's moons, and their debris surrounded Saturn, forming a Saturn ring.
However, with the increasingly detailed observation of Saturn's rings by Cassini, people have discovered new facts.Scientists use the "Cassini"ultraviolet raysimagea spectrometerAfter careful study of the particles in Saturn's ring, they found that Saturn's ring is actually very rough. The material in the ring is different in size. Some are smaller than sand particles, and some are larger than bouldersLumpIt is mixed with ice and rocks. During the circulation of materials in the ring, they dilute and absorb pollutants from the universe, so Saturn's ring does not look dim.Scientists also usedobserved data The computer simulated the movement of the material in the Saturn ring. In September 2008, they announced that the Saturn ring may be larger than previously expected and have a longer history. It may have been formed 4.5 billion years agoSaturnIt is also ancient.
It is worth mentioning that even though Saturn's rings are quite old and will not disappear soon, such rings are not easy to see in the universe.It is known that it is not rare for planets to have rings. In the solar system,Neptune、UranusJupiter, Jupiter have rings, but their rings are not as bright, grand and magical as Saturn's rings.Maybe such rings are far away from us, or they are very rare.
Saturn's rings in 2009 may not be attractive, but they are not easy to see.When Saturn's ring shows a straight line due to its side facing the earth, astronomers call it "torus crossing". During Saturn's revolution around the sun, the "torus crossing" scenery is rare.The "ring crossing" really occurred in 2009 on September 4, when the side of Saturn's ring was facing us, but Saturn was too close to the sun at that time, and we could not see it at all.But at other times in 2009, we can see the general effect.The time of "torus crossing" is very short, and after that, the beautiful Saturn ring will reappear.
Slowly disappear
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Scientists began to study Saturn's rings in the 1980s, when they found that Saturn's rings were slowly disappearing.Saturn's rings are one of the most spectacular sights in the solar system, but they may not always exist.Scientists found that the ice particles in Saturn's ring were being eroded, causing heavy rain to fall on the gaseous planet.This phenomenon has been going on for a long time, but scientists still don't know how long Saturn's rings can last.
To unlock the secrets of Saturn's rings, scientists will useNASAJamesWeber Space TelescopeAnd HawaiianKeck Observatory To make a more careful observation of Saturn.They will measure the emission of hydrogen molecules in Saturn's atmosphere to determine how much water is absorbed in Saturn's rings.They will also explore the cause of the erosion of Saturn's rings, which is believed to be caused by solar radiation and asteroid impact.[8]
In November 2023, Galileo Galilei, the father of modern astronomy, discovered Saturn's ring for the first time in 1610 with a groundbreaking but relatively primitive telescope and called it "ear".However, the latest research indicates that due to poor vision, Saturn's rings will "disappear" for a period of time in 2025.[10]
world record
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Saturn's ring extends from 7000 kilometers above Saturn's equator to 15 million kilometers. The "Phoebe ring" at the outermost edge is almost invisible. Saturn's ring is composed of ice and debris, with a total mass of about 1.54 × 1016 tons, setting the Guinness World Age for the largest ring galaxyRecord.[9]
