Saturn rings are one of the most famous and revered celestial objects known to mankind. From a distance, they look like a disk of layered crystal or multi-colored disks in slices that wrap around the hazy umber face of Saturn. On closer inspection, we see that these rings are actually water ice particles (from micrometers to icebergs) as well as silicates, carbon dioxide and ammonia.
We’d also note that the rings have some interesting orbital mechanics. In fact, each ring has a different orbit resulting from its proximity to Saturn (that is, the closer they are, the faster they orbit). To illustrate what this complex system looks like, NASA employee Dr. James O’Donoghue created a stunning animation showing how each of the main ring segments of Saturn (A-ring to F-ring) orbits together around the planet.
Dr. O’Donoghue was born in the UK and is a planetary explorer and scientist currently working for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) based outside of Tokyo. Previously, he worked as a NASA Fellow at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, where he specialized in the study of Saturn (and its ring system), Jupiter and their atmospheric phenomena (aurors, giant red spot, etc.).
Dr. O’Donoghue emailed Universe Today what inspired this animation:
“Over the years I’ve had a lot of questions about what the rings are made of and how they move. People are often surprised that the rings are made of shards of frozen water ice, ranging in size from dust to icebergs, and that they orbit the planet at different speeds depending on which “track” they are on! By the way, the rings are made of almost pure water. If they were pure water ice, they would look white! “
As you can see from the animation, the main rings of Saturn are named based on the order of their discovery and orbit their mother planet in the order D, C, B, A and F (innermost to outermost). Between the A and F rings is the mysterious E ring, which orbits between Mimas and Titan and is extremely wide. This ring is made up of microscopic ice particles, which makes it difficult to see among the others.
The recording simulates what happens around Saturn within 30 hours. “The image of Saturn was made from images collected from the sewn-together Cassini spacecraft,” explained O’Donoghue. “It can take a long time to render, so I thought the minimally useful animation was to show the slowest ring washing the planet twice.”
Saturn’s rings and moons have been the subject of scientific debate. A 2019 study showed that the migration of Saturn’s moons widened the Cassini division in Saturn’s rings. Photo credit: Cassini, Dante, Baillié and Noyelles
The orbital velocity and period of each ring is timed to illustrate the resonance of the system of rings. “The Cassini division, the largest void in Saturn’s rings, is caused by the resonance between a small moon called Mimas and ring particles,” said O’Donoghue. “Funnily enough, I looked for some pictures and found something cool on UT.” (shown above).
Saturn’s own spin is shown in white, which represents its speed of rotation relative to its ring system. Also visible is the persistent and rotating hexagonal vortex that is located around the North Pole of Saturn. The animation not only offers a nice view of the orbital dynamics of Saturn’s rings. It also honors the Cassini Mission, which ended its mission on September 15, 2017 after thirteen years around Saturn.
The data collected by the probe is still being analyzed and leads to exciting new discoveries about Saturn, its rings and its lunar system. Before entering the atmosphere of Saturn, Cassini performed his “Grande Finale”, in which the probe plunged into the unexplored region between the atmosphere of Saturn and its rings.
The footage of Cassini’s final months and his final descent into Saturn’s atmosphere earned NASA an Emmy nomination.
Further reading: YouTube
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