Abstract The Voyager observations of electrical discharges in Saturn's rings strongly support earlier speculations on the role played by electrostatics, magnetic fields, and lightning phenomena in the primitive solar system. They also suggest conditions then by direct analogy rather than by extrapolating backwards through time from conditions now. The observed discharges show a pronounced 10h periodicity, which suggests a source in Keplerian orbit at 1.80 ± 0.01 Saturn radii (1 RS = 60,330 km). In that region, the B ring is thicker than optical depth 1.8 for about 5,000 km. At 1.805 ± 0.001 Saturn radii, however, the ring is virtually transparent for a gap of width 200 m. We conclude that a small satellite orbits Saturn at that radius and clears the gap. The gap edges must prevent diffusive filling of the gap by fine material which is especially abundant at this position in the rings and would otherwise destroy the gap in minutes. The discharges represent the satellite's interaction with the outer edge of the gap. Spoke formation may involve the interaction of ring material in the vicinity of the gap.
Electrostatic discharges in Saturn's B-ring
Advances in Space Research ; 3 , 3 ; 105-110
1983-01-01
6 pages
Article (Journal)
Electronic Resource
English
Electrostatic discharges in Saturn's B-ring
NTRS | 1983
|Elsevier | 1984
|Charged grains in Saturn's F-Ring: interaction with Saturn's magnetic field
Online Contents | 2004
|Charged Grains in Saturn's F-Ring: Interaction with Saturn's Magnetic Field
British Library Conference Proceedings | 2004
|British Library Conference Proceedings | 1993
|