When Galileo first saw the “arms” of Saturn in 1610 – later discovered by Christiaan Huygens to be a ring system – he could not have imagined the mysteries yet to be revealed about this spectacular planet. Below are 7 of these discoveries:
The Tall Peaks of the B Ring
Rising 1.6 miles above the plane of the rings from the edge of Saturn’s B ring are vertical structures casting long shadows on the B ring. Cassini scientists believe that large bodies called moonlets force ring material upward in a “splashing” manner.
NASA-SATURN- B-RING TALL STRUCTURES
Enceladus Feeds the E Ring
How are Saturn’s rings formed? This has been one of the biggest mysteries ever since the rings were discovered. On July 14, 2005, Cassini found a partial answer by discovering that the moon Enceladus is ‘feeding’ Saturn’s E-ring by spewing tiny ice particles that are subsequently scooped up into the E-ring.
The Mysterious Spokes
The spokes, 2,200 miles by 60 miles radial markings, were discovered in Saturn’s rings by the Voyager spacecraft in 1980. Some suggestions for the spokes’ origin are meteoroid impacts onto the rings or instability in Saturn’s magnetic field. Others have suggested that the radial spokes are entirely composed of water ice.
Prometheus Sculpts the F Ring
Prometheus acts as a shepherding satellite, gravitationally sculpting and constraining the extent of the inner edge of Saturn’s F Ring.
The Hexagon at the North Pole
Located at Saturn’s north pole and spanning about 20,000 miles across is a six-sided jet stream of 200-mile-per-hour winds with a massive, rotating storm at the center. Scientists suspect the stability of the hexagon is due to the lack of solid landforms on Saturn.
Cassini Snaps New Views Of Saturn’s Hexagon | Video
Saturn’s Eerie Radio Emissions
Saturn is a source of intense radio emissions that are closely related to the auroras near the poles of the planet. The radio spectrum is an amazing array of variations in frequency and time and is very similar to Earth’s auroral radio emissions.
Cassini RPWS: The Eerie Sounds of Saturn’s Radio Emissions
Saturn’s Aurorae
Reaching more than 750 miles above the edge of Saturn’s northern hemisphere are the tallest known “northern lights” in the solar system. Unlike Earth’s atmosphere, which has a lot of oxygen and nitrogen, Saturn’s atmosphere is composed primarily of hydrogen. Because hydrogen is very light, the atmosphere and auroras reach far out from Saturn.
Hubble Captures Saturn’s Aurorae
Featured image: Courtesy of NRAO/AUI.