Space

Another view of the jet in Saturn’s F ring

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November 12, 2013

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory added this image of Saturn’s F ring, taken by the Cassini spacecraft, to its Photojournal yesterday (November 11, 2013). It’s another view of the mysterious jet in Saturn’s F ring, discovered by the Cassini spacecraft in an image acquired last June 20.

View larger. | Jet in Saturn's F ring. Image via NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute. — View larger. | Jet in Saturn’s F ring, seen by Cassini spacecraft. This view looks toward the unilluminated side of Saturn’s rings from about 45 degrees below the ring plane. Image via NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute.

NASA says that, although this image appears to show one jet appearing to leap from the F ring, a closer inspection suggests a few smaller jets making up this feature. NASA says the several jets suggest a slightly more complex origin process than previously believed.

Overall, the jets are thought by scientists to be caused by the ring’s particles interacting with small moons orbiting nearby.

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November 12, 2013

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Deborah Byrd

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Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. In 2020, she won the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.