It seems that Cassini has found evidence of a debris ring around
Saturn's moon Rhea. The rings haven't been observed directly but gaps
in a pattern of electrons detected by Cassini's Magnetospheric Imaging
Instrument suggest that rings do exist. This is interesting but not
entirely unprecedented as Iapetus has a broad ridge around its equator
which has been interpreted as the remnants of a ring that might have
existed around that moon as well.
http://www.planetary.org/blog/article/00001351/
http://www.saturntoday.com/news/viewpr.rss.html?pid=24917
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/podcasting/jpl-rhea20080306.html
It's interesting how the more Saturn's moons are explored, the more
each of them seems to take on a personality of its own from Titan
which is practically a planet in its own right to Enceladus with its
ice volcanoes, Hyperion with its spongy, comet-like structure, Death
Star-like Mimas, and now moons like Rhea and Iapetus with rings --
probably as a result of some collision. The Saturn neighborhood would
make a tremendous backdrop for sci-fi stories with its beauty and
danger -- all that debris has to be a navigation hazard.
--
Cause, really, nothing says "I'm a counter culture
rebel, fighting the establishment" like an Aibo on
a skateboard.
- Seen on Slashdot
Roberto Castillo
robertocastillo@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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