[ad_1]
Cassini's last look at the rings of Saturn
During the final phases of the Cassini mission, the spacecraft flew between the planet and its rings, offering a new vision of this spectacular system (see Ida's Perspective). Describing the scenery, Spilker reviews the many discoveries made with Cassini during her 13 years in orbit around Saturn. Iess et al. measured the gravitational pull on Cassini, separating the contributions of the planet and rings. This allowed them to determine the inner structure of Saturn and the mass of its rings. Buratti et al. current observations of five small moons located in and around the rings. Moons each have distinct shapes and compositions due to the accumulation of annular material. Tiscareno et al. observed the rings directly at short distance, finding complex features carved by the gravitational interactions between moons and ring particles. Together, these results show that the rings of Saturn are noticeably younger than the planet itself and constrain the patterns of origin.
Science, this number p. 1046, p. eaat2965, p. eaat2349, p. eaau1017; see also p. 1028
Abstract
The Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn made it possible to study closely the giant gas planet, as well as its rings, moons and magnetosphere. The Cassini probe arrived at Saturn in 2004, abandoned the Huygens probe to study the atmosphere and surface of Titan, the planet-sized moon, and circled Saturn for 13 years. In 2017, when she ran out of fuel, Cassini was deliberately sprayed into the atmosphere of Saturn to protect the moons of the oceans, Enceladus and Titan, where she had discovered life-friendly habitats. The results of the mission include the southern polar geysers of Enceladus, source of the E ring of Saturn; Titan's methane cycle, including the rain that creates hydrocarbon lakes; dynamic rings containing ice, silicates and organic matter; and the differential rotation of Saturn. This review examines the highlights of Cassini's investigations, including the last year of the mission.
[ad_2]
Source link