ASTRO-110 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Rings Of Saturn, Tidal Locking, Occultation
Document Summary
Saturn has the most well-known and complex ring system. All follow kepler"s laws of orbits if a ring particle drifts inward, the faster moving inner moon tugs on it, giving it energy so that it moves back out. If it drifts out, the slower moving outer moon causes it to move back in. E,g,f, a(encke gap in a), cassini division, b, c, d. Other jovian ring systems: the ring systems of other planets are harder to see. The rings of uranus: the rings around uranus were discovered accidentally when a stellar occultation was being observed. The star light was blocked intermittently several times before the star encountered uranus, and then was blocked again after the star re-emerged. Here we see the two shepard moons (cordelia and ophelia) at work again. A similar effect was seen around neptune, although it was not always seen in a symmetric pattern as would be expected from complete rings.
