![]() Took a first look at their Spitzer data, a band of dust jumped The astronomers had a hunch that Phoebe might be circlingĪround in a belt of dust and, sure enough, when the scientists Patch of sky far from Saturn and a bit inside Phoebe's orbit. The moon plows through the dust of Saturn's newly-discoveredĪnd colleagues used Spitzer's longer-wavelength infrared camera,Ĭalled the multiband imaging photometer, to scan through a Outer moon Phoebe and the dark material on Iapetus," Have long suspected that there is a connection between Saturn's Inward toward Iapetus, slamming the icy moon like bugs on Some of the dark and dusty material from the outer ring moves While Iapetus, the other rings and most of Saturn's moonsĪre all going the opposite way. The ring is circling in the same direction as Phoebe, Supersized ring could explain how Cassini Regio came to be Spotted the moon in 1671, and years later figured out it hasĪ dark side, now named Cassini Regio in his honor. Iapetus has a strange appearance - one side is brightĪnd the other is really dark, in a pattern that resembles ![]() Glow of the cool dust, which has a temperature of only aboutĨ0 Kelvin (minus 316 degrees Fahrenheit).ĭiscovery may help solve an age-old riddle of one of Saturn's Spitzer's infrared eyes were able to spot the Ring is tenuous, consisting of widely-dispersed particles of Phoebe, circles within the newfound ring, and is likely the It would take about one billion Earths stacked together toįill the voluminous ring. Roughly another 12 million kilometers (7.4 million miles). (3.7 million miles) away from the planet and extends outward The bulk of its material starts about six million kilometers With an orbit tilted 27 degrees from the main ring plane. New belt lies at the far reaches of the Saturnian system, Wispy clouds are an artist's representation. Observatory at Mauna Kea, Hawaii, in infrared light. The inset shows an enlarged image of Saturn, as seen by the W.M. Is equivalent to roughly 300 Saturns lined up side to side. (3.7 million miles) away from the planet and extends outward roughlyĪnother 12 million kilometers (7.4 million miles). The bulk of the ring material starts about six million kilometers Saturn appears as just a small dot from outside the band of ice andĭust. The artist's conception simulates an infrared view of the giant ring. The largest of the giant planet's many rings. This artist's conception shows a nearly invisible ring around Saturn. The otherĪuthors are Douglas Hamilton of the University of MarylandĪnd Michael Skrutskie of the University of Virginia. Is co-author of a paper about the discovery to be published "If youĬould see the ring in the night sky, it would span the width Is one supersized ring," says Anne Verbiscer, an astronomerĪt the University of Virginia, Charlottesville. ![]() 7, 2009: NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has discoveredĪn enormous and previously unknown infrared ring around Saturn.
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