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Rings

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Saturn’s Rings Could Vanish in 100 Million Years, but the Timeline Is Debated
space10 days ago

Saturn’s Rings Could Vanish in 100 Million Years, but the Timeline Is Debated

NASA-led studies indicate Saturn’s rings could vanish in a geologically brief window—ring rain would drain the rings in under 100 million years (potentially up to ~300 million if counted without the equatorial infall); the timeline depends on solar UV charging and Saturn’s orbit, with Cassini data lowering the upper bound. The rings’ age is disputed: some work suggests they’re only 10–100 million years old, while others argue they could be much older. No funded mission is planned to resolve the question, so future constraints will come from Cassini data reanalysis and ongoing observations and modeling.

via Space Daily|
#cassini#nasa#ring-rain
Contrasting Hues on Uranus’ Rings Suggest Distinct Origins
space29 days ago

Contrasting Hues on Uranus’ Rings Suggest Distinct Origins

Using Hubble, JWST, and Keck, scientists show Uranus’ faint μ and ν rings have distinct colors and compositions: μ appears blue and icy, likely sourced from the moon Mab; ν appears red and dust-rich with 10–15% carbon-bearing organics, probably from micrometeorite impacts on rocky parent bodies. These differences raise questions about their origins and materials, and the rings—likely young and continually refreshed—will be monitored to track brightness changes and refine the system’s dynamics.

via Universe Today|
#mab#organics#rings
JWST data links Uranus rings to hidden moons, hinting at more to discover
space1 month ago

JWST data links Uranus rings to hidden moons, hinting at more to discover

New infrared observations from the James Webb Space Telescope show Uranus’s outer mu- and nu-rings have distinct origins: the blue mu-ring is ice-rich and linked to Mab (a 12‑km inner moon), while the red nu-ring contains organics, likely produced by dust from undiscovered inner moons, suggesting additional moons exist beyond the 29 already known and that a future Uranus mission may be needed to unravel the system.

via Space|
#james-webb-space-telescope#mab#rings
Uranus’s Distant Rings Reveal Two Separate Origins
space-and-spaceflight1 month ago

Uranus’s Distant Rings Reveal Two Separate Origins

Astronomers using Keck, Webb, and Hubble analyzed Uranus’ faint outer rings and found two distinct compositions: the blue μ ring consists of tiny icy grains likely sourced from Mab, while the red ν ring is rocky with about 10–15% carbon-rich organics, suggesting different formation histories for the planet’s second ring system. The study, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, highlights how ring material traces back to source bodies and collisions, with implications for Uranus’s formation and a need for future close-up observations.

via Gizmodo|
#outer-solar-system#planetary-science#rings
Saturn Revealed in High Definition by Hubble and Webb
science2 months ago

Saturn Revealed in High Definition by Hubble and Webb

NASA’s joint observations from the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes deliver the most detailed, multi-wavelength portrait of Saturn to date, revealing a layered atmosphere and intricate ring structures by combining visible and infrared data to visualize atmospheric layers, jet streams, and seasonal changes as Saturn approaches its 2025 equinox.

via The Daily Galaxy|
#hubble-space-telescope#james-webb-space-telescope#nasa
Webb and Hubble Deliver a Multi-Layer Portrait of Saturn
science2 months ago

Webb and Hubble Deliver a Multi-Layer Portrait of Saturn

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the Hubble Space Telescope released complementary views of Saturn in infrared and visible light, revealing a dynamic atmosphere, bright rings, and several moons. The multi-wavelength approach lets scientists probe different atmospheric depths, effectively slicing Saturn's atmosphere by altitude. Webb highlights features like the long-lived northern ribbon wave and remnants of the Great Springtime Storm (2010–12), while Hubble shows color variations and ring shadows. Captured about 14 weeks apart in late 2024 as part of ongoing monitoring (including Cassini-era data and the OPAL program), the observations extend Saturn’s atmospheric record and demonstrate Webb’s infrared capabilities alongside Hubble’s view, in an international NASA/ESA/CSA collaboration.

via NASA Science (.gov)|
#hubble-space-telescope#james-webb-space-telescope#planetary-atmospheres
Titan Collision May Have Scuplted Saturn’s Rings and Tilt
astronomy3 months ago

Titan Collision May Have Scuplted Saturn’s Rings and Tilt

Space.com reports Matija Ćuk and colleagues propose Saturn’s Titan may have formed from a collision/merger with a now-missing moon called Chrysalis about 100–200 million years ago. This upheaval could have widened Titan’s orbit, triggered further moon collisions, redistributed Saturn’s mass to alter its precession, and helped form Saturn’s rings. Hyperion might be a debris remnant from the event. Cassini data revised Saturn’s internal mass distribution, moving it slightly out of Neptune’s orbital resonance. There’s no direct evidence yet, but the scenario is being explored in Planetary Science Journal with an arXiv preprint, and future Dragonfly observations could test it.

via Space|
#astronomy#chrysalis#hyperion
Jupiter's New Ring: Legacy of a Historic Comet Collision
space1 year ago

Jupiter's New Ring: Legacy of a Historic Comet Collision

A new hypothesis suggests that the collision of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with Jupiter in 1994 may have left the planet with a new, thin ring. The comet's fragments, which were the first observed hitting another Solar System body, could have generated dust particles that settled into a ring around Jupiter. This proposal, presented by Professor Mihaly Horanyi, awaits confirmation from NASA's Europa Clipper mission, which will study Jupiter and its moons in 2030.

via IFLScience|
#comet-shoemaker-levy-9#europa-clipper#jupiter
Millie Bobby Brown and Jake Bongiovi Celebrate Marriage with Wedding Rings
entertainment2 years ago

Millie Bobby Brown and Jake Bongiovi Celebrate Marriage with Wedding Rings

Millie Bobby Brown and Jake Bongiovi were spotted in the Hamptons flaunting their wedding rings, confirming their secret marriage. The couple, who started dating in 2021 and got engaged last year, are planning a larger ceremony later this year. Their recent public appearance, filled with celebratory gestures, suggests they are indeed newlyweds, although official confirmation from Millie's representatives is still pending.

via TMZ|
#celebrity#entertainment#jake-bongiovi
"Unveiling the Enigmatic Influence of Hidden Moons on Space Rock Rings"
astronomy2 years ago

"Unveiling the Enigmatic Influence of Hidden Moons on Space Rock Rings"

Scientists have discovered that the asteroid-like minor planet Chariklo, located in the space between Jupiter and Neptune, is circled by a pair of gossamer rings likely shepherded by a tiny, unseen moonlet. The rings are being maintained and shaped by the moonlet, keeping them tidy and preventing them from dispersing. This discovery sheds light on the complex lives of minor planets and adds to our understanding of ring formation around small celestial bodies.

via ScienceAlert|
#asteroids#astronomy#chariklo