Friday, June 27, 2008

A spiral density wave - Cassini's lastest ring images

The latest images for June from Cassini have just been released. There's structure in them there rings!
Credit NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute


An enhanced section from the above image.
Ring scientists think that the scrambled pattern seen here in the B ring's outer edge might represent gravitational clumping of particles there--that is, the self-gravity of groups of particles orbiting together makes them form clumps.