Abstract
The photopolarimetric and charged particle data from the Pioneer 11 Saturn encounter were used as diagnostic tools in a preliminary analysis of the physical nature of the F ring of Saturn. It is argued that the F ring may have two components, with the outer one composed of solid particles of centimetre-diameter and the inner one of micrometre-sized dust particles. Also, the outer component as scanned by the charged particle detectors may have two rings instead of one. The double-ring option, if verified, could have interesting implications for the dynamical origin of the planetary ring systems.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 126-128 |
Number of pages | 3 |
Journal | Nature |
Volume | 287 |
Issue number | 5778 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1980 |