NASA telescope discovers giant ring around Saturn
PASADENA, Calif. — The Spitzer Space Telescope has discovered the biggest but never-before-seen ring around the planet Saturn, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory announced late Tuesday.
The thin array of ice and dust particles lies at the far reaches of the Saturnian system and its orbit is tilted 27 degrees from the planet’s main ring plane, the laboratory said.
JPL spokeswoman Whitney Clavin said the ring is very diffuse and doesn’t reflect much visible light but the infrared Spitzer telescope was able to detect it.
Although the ring dust is very cold — minus 316 degrees Fahrenheit — it shines with thermal radiation.
No one had looked at its location with an infrared instrument until now, Clavin said.
The bulk of the ring material starts about 3.7 million miles from the planet and extends outward about another 7.4 million miles.
The newly found ring is so huge it would take 1 billion Earths to fill it, JPL said.
Before the discovery Saturn was known to have seven main rings named A through E and several faint unnamed rings.
A paper on the discovery was to be published online Wednesday by the journal Nature.
“This is one supersized ring,” said one of the authors, Anne Verbiscer, an astronomer at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. Her co-authors are Douglas Hamilton of the University of Maryland, College Park, and Michael Skrutskie, also of the University of Virginia.
Saturn’s moon Phoebe orbits within the ring and is believed to be the source of the material.
The ring also may answer the riddle of another moon, Iapetus, which has a bright side and a very dark side.
The ring circles in the same direction as Phoebe, while Iapetus, the other rings and most of Saturn’s other moons go the opposite way. Scientists think material from the outer ring moves inward and slams into Iapetus.
“Astronomers have long suspected that there is a connection between Saturn’s outer moon Phoebe and the dark material on Iapetus,” said Hamilton. “This new ring provides convincing evidence of that relationship.”
The Spitzer mission, launched in 2003, is managed by JPL in Pasadena. Spitzer is 66 million miles from Earth in orbit around the sun.
Related News
Yet another ring discovered around SaturnOctober 7th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Astronomers have identified yet another ring around Saturn, says a new study. This barely visible ring, because of its icy temperature hovering at minus 193 degree Celsius, and distance from the Sun, also includes the planet's famous moon, Phoebe, said the Jet Propulsion Lab in California.
Largest ring around Saturn discoveredOctober 7th, 2009 LONDON - An enormous ring around Saturn - by far the largest of the giant planet's many rings - has been discovered by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The new belt lies at the far reaches of the Saturnian system, with an orbit tilted 27 degrees from the main ring plane.
Timeline: A brief look back at GM's Saturn brandSeptember 30th, 2009 A brief history of the Saturn brandA timeline of events in the life of General Motors Co.'s Saturn brand. 1983- General Motors Chairman Roger Smith announces plans for Saturn brand.
Penske terminates talks with GM to acquire Saturn brand on uncertain future.September 30th, 2009 Penske ends talks with GM to acquire SaturnDETROIT — Penske Automotive Group Inc. says it has ended talks with General Motors Corp.
NASA's Spitzer spots clump of planet-forming material around young starSeptember 24th, 2009 WASHINGTON - NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has witnessed a clump of planet-forming material around a young star. Planets form out of swirling disks of gas and dust.
Former New York Gov. Spitzer teaching law and public policy at NYC's City CollegeSeptember 2nd, 2009 Ex-NY Gov. Spitzer teaching at NYC's City CollegeNEW YORK — Former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer is teaching a political science course at a New York City college. A City College spokesman says Spitzer, who resigned in a prostitution scandal in March 2008, is an adjunct professor in the political science department.
NASA's Cassini spacecraft reveals 3D objects in Saturn's otherwise flat ringsAugust 8th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Recent images captured by NASA's Cassini spacecraft are revealing new three-dimensional objects and structures in Saturn's otherwise flat rings, thanks to the planet approaching equinox on August 11th. Through the detections of shadows cast upon the rings, a moonlet has been spotted for the first time in Saturn's dense B ring and narrow vertical structures are seen soaring upward from Saturn's intricate F ring.
Appeals court: US govt can withhold Spitzer documents sought by NY TimesAugust 7th, 2009 NY court: US govt can withhold Spitzer documentsNEW YORK — An appeals court says the federal government does not have to release information about wiretaps from the investigation that brought down former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer.
NASA's Spitzer sees the cosmos through 'warm' infrared eyesAugust 6th, 2009 WASHINGTON - NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope is starting a second career and taking its first shots of the cosmos since warming up. The infrared telescope ran out of coolant May 15, 2009, more than five-and-one-half-years after launch.
Coiled galaxy has an "eye" staring from its centerJuly 25th, 2009 WASHINGTON - NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has imaged a coiled galaxy with an eye-like object at its center. The galaxy, called NGC 1097, is located 50 million light-years away.
NASA's Fermi Telescope discovers 16 pulsars in deep spaceJuly 3rd, 2009 WASHINGTON - Astronomers have used NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope to discover 16 pulsars. A pulsar is the rapidly spinning and highly magnetized core left behind when a massive star explodes.
Herschel telescope obtains images of 'whirlpool galaxy' as first test observationJune 20th, 2009 PARIS - Herschel, the largest infrared space telescope ever flown, has obtained images of the famous 'whirlpool galaxy' for a first test observation. European Space Agency's (ESA's) Herschel opened its 'eyes' on June 14 and the Photoconductor Array Camera and Spectrometer obtained images of M51, which is popularly dubbed the 'whirlpool galaxy'.
Saturn's moon casts shadow on its ringJune 15th, 2009 SYDNEY - The Cassini spacecraft has found long shadows in a ring gap created by the eight-kilometre-wide Saturn moon Dephnis, which orbits in the planet's outer A ring. According to a report by ABC News, taking advantage of a very low sun angle relative to the planet's rings, Cassini scientists found the shadows in the ring gap.
Lawyer says ex-NY Gov. Eliot Spitzer met regularly with escorts for 18 months before quittingJune 1st, 2009 Lawyer: NY Gov. Spitzer met often with prostitutesNEW YORK — A lawyer for a former escort service employee who arranged meetings with high-priced prostitutes says his client revealed former New York Gov.
General Motors retains adviser to evaluate offers for sale of Saturn brandMay 4th, 2009 GM retains adviser for Saturn saleDETROIT — GM says it is retaining a former company adviser to help it review potential buyers for its Saturn brand. The automaker says several parties expressed interest in buying the brand and its dealerships.
Loading ...