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Close-range remote sensing of Saturn’s rings during Cassini’s ring-grazing orbits and Grand Finale

Research output: Contribution to Journal/MagazineJournal articlepeer-review

Published
  • M.S. Tiscareno
  • P.D. Nicholson
  • J.N. Cuzzi
  • L.J. Spilker
  • C.D. Murray
  • M.M. Hedman
  • J.E. Colwell
  • J.A. Burns
  • S.M. Brooks
  • R.N. Clark
  • N.J. Cooper
  • E. Deau
  • C. Ferrari
  • G. Filacchione
  • R.G. Jerousek
  • S. Le Mouélic
  • R. Morishima
  • S. Pilorz
  • S. Rodriguez
  • M.R. Showalter
  • E.J. Baker
  • B.J. Buratti
  • K.H. Baines
  • C. Sotin
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<mark>Journal publication date</mark>2019
<mark>Journal</mark>Science
Issue number6445
Volume364
Publication StatusPublished
<mark>Original language</mark>English

Abstract

Saturn’s rings are an accessible exemplar of an astrophysical disk, tracing the Saturn system’s dynamical processes and history. We present close-range remote-sensing observations of the main rings from the Cassini spacecraft. We find detailed sculpting of the rings by embedded masses, and banded texture belts throughout the rings. Saturn-orbiting streams of material impact the F ring. There are fine-scaled correlations among optical depth, spectral properties, and temperature in the B ring, but anticorrelations within strong density waves in the A ring. There is no spectral distinction between plateaux and the rest of the C ring, whereas the region outward of the Keeler gap is spectrally distinct from nearby regions. These results likely indicate that radial stratification of particle physical properties, rather than compositional differences, is responsible for producing these ring structures. © 2019 American Association for the Advancement of Science. All rights reserved.

Bibliographic note

Cited By :2 Export Date: 15 July 2019 CODEN: SCIEA Correspondence Address: Tiscareno, M.S.; Carl Sagan Center for the Study of Life in the Universe, SETI InstituteUnited States; email: matt@seti.org