Prometheus Creating Saturn Ring Streamers
Explanation:
What's causing those strange dark streaks in the rings of Saturn?
Prometheus.
Specifically, an orbital dance involving
Saturn's moon Prometheus keeps creating unusual light and dark streamers in
the
F-Ring of Saturn.
Now
Prometheus orbits Saturn just inside the thin
F-ring, but ventures into its inner edge about every 15 hours.
Prometheus' gravity then
pulls the closest
ring particles toward the 80-km moon.
The result is not only a stream of bright
ring particles but also a
dark ribbon where ring particles used to be.
Since
Prometheus
orbits faster than the ring particles, the icy moon pulls out a new streamer every
pass.
Above, several streamers or
kinks
are visible at once.
The
above
photograph was taken in June by the robotic Cassini Spacecraft orbiting
Saturn.
The oblong moon Prometheus is visible on the far left.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
