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, 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.
Deborah Byrd (asteroid 3505 Byrd) helps edit EarthSky.org and is a frequent host of EarthSky videos. Deborah 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. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named in her honor in 1990, a Public Service Award from the National Science Board in 2003, and the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society in 2020. 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.
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