 | « Back to article | Print this article |
IN PICS: Mystery object punches Saturn's ring
New images from National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Cassini spacecraft show rogue kilometre-sized objects punching through Saturn's F-ring and leaving glittering trails -- dubbed 'mini-jets' -- behind them.
Click NEXT to read further...
IN PICS: Mystery object punches Saturn's ring
Saturn's narrow F-ring is already known to host a variety of dynamic features including channels, ripples and 'snowballs' that are created by the gravitational influence of nearby moon Prometheus.
Click NEXT to read further...
IN PICS: Mystery object punches Saturn's ring
While some snowballs are likely broken up by collisions and tidal forces, the new images reveal five hundred separate cases where small surviving fragments punch through the F-ring, dragging icy ring particles with them.
Click NEXT to read further...
IN PICS: Mystery object punches Saturn's ring
The objects collide with the ring at low speeds of around two metres per second, resulting in 'mini-jets' that extend between 40 and 180 kilometres from the ring.
Click NEXT to read further...
IN PICS: Mystery object punches Saturn's ring
In some cases the snowball impacts occur in groups, creating exotic patterns as they drag through the ring.
TOP photo features of the week
Click on MORE to see another set of PHOTO features...