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Congratulations to the Cassini team

Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2004 6:01 pm
by Ares

Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2004 3:03 pm
by lordhellion
Wait, we made into Saturn's orbit and the rings still look like groves in an LP? Does that make any sense?

Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2004 4:29 pm
by 3278
Well, the particles that make up the rings are moving at several thousand miles per hour, in orbit around the planet. In order to resolve detail, Cassini would need to match their speed; I'm uncertain if that's planned. It would be spectacularly difficult, however.

I'm still holding out hope Huygens will find life on Titan.

Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2004 7:00 pm
by Kwyndig
I'm still holding out hope that Cassini won't crash into Titan, this is NASA, after all...

Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2004 7:40 pm
by TLM
Huygens is an ESA craft. So unless NASA fucked up something fierce on their orbit calculations (or whatever) Cassini crashing into Titan is highly unlikely. Then again... this is NASA....

Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2004 9:19 pm
by JetPlane
Wait, we made into Saturn's orbit and the rings still look like groves in an LP? Does that make any sense?
Well, various parts of the ring have spaces caused by the planet's pull or something or other. Plus, they believe the rings were caused by its massive gravitational pull and therefore, dragging in previous moons or other large bodies into the surface and breaking them into many, many pieces and then keeping the debris because the pull rocks that hard. Anyway, they're supposed to be there.

Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2004 1:14 am
by 3278
JetPlane wrote:Well, various parts of the ring have spaces caused by the planet's pull or something or other.
The gravitational pull of the so-called "shepherd moons."

Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2004 11:55 pm
by Cash
I'm naming mine Alan.

*ahem*
From here...
Much of the elaborate structure of the rings is due to gravitational effects of nearby satellites. This phenomenon is demonstrated by the relationship between the F-ring and two small moons Prometheus and Pandora that shepherd the ring material. The F-ring shows a complex structure made up of two narrow, braided, bright rings along which "knots" are visible. Scientists speculate that the knots may be clumps of ring material, or mini moons.

More here also...

Posted: Sun Jul 11, 2004 8:32 pm
by UncleJoseph

Posted: Sun Jul 11, 2004 10:45 pm
by Cash

Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2004 11:48 am
by UncleJoseph
:lol

Thanks Cash...silly me...