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IR brightness and eclipse cooling of Saturn's ringsEquatorial scans of Saturn at 20 microns wavelength, obtained with the Mayall 4-m telescope in 1978-79, show a continuing decrease in the specific brightness of the A and B rings as the ring plane projection approaches and edge-on apparition. The decreased brightness of the previously dominant B ring reveals more clearly a large difference in brightness between the east and west ansae portions of the C ring, in contrast to a barely discernible difference for the other ring ansae. The amount of eclipse cooling is compatible with a C ring particle size of about 1 cm. It is proposed here that the B ring brightness variation could partially result from a decrease of absorbed insolation by a modest amount of visible scattering.
Document ID
19800041107
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
Nolt, I. G.
(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Boulder, CO, United States)
Caldwell, J.
(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Boulder, CO, United States)
Radostitz, J. V.
(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Boulder, CO, United States)
Tokunaga, A. T.
(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Boulder, CO, United States)
Barrett, E. W.
(NOAA, Atmospheric Physics and Chemistry Laboratory, Boulder Colo., United States)
Gillett, F. C.
(Kitt Peak National Observatory Tucson, Ariz., United States)
Murphy, R. E.
(NASA Headquarters Washington, DC United States)
Date Acquired
August 10, 2013
Publication Date
February 28, 1980
Publication Information
Publication: Nature
Volume: 283
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Exploration
Accession Number
80A25277
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NSG-7320
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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