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New Ring Around Saturn

Posted by michael on from the radiation-may-be-hazardous-to-your-health dept.

The Fun Guy writes "From the New York Times: 'In its first month orbiting Saturn, the Cassini spacecraft has detected a new radiation belt in an unexpected place, its invisible swarm of trapped high-energy particles circling the planet inside the inner edge of Saturn's signature disk of luminous rings.' Cassini has also seen 'a striking glow emanating day and night from the planet's largest moon, Titan.' A moon that shines with unborrowed light!"

6 of 38 comments (clear)

  1. Not a ring by MarsDefenseMinister · · Score: 3, Informative

    The rings are icy chunks of matter. Radiation is not. Technically, it's not a ring.

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    No weapon in the arsenals of the world is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men.-Ronald Reagan
    1. Re:Not a ring by DustMagnet · · Score: 5, Insightful
      It is entirely conceivable that ring can be used as a synonym for belt, particularly in this instance. Sure, radiation belts are typically called "belts" but there's no reason why they can't be called "rings".

      There's a very good reason one is call rings and one is called belts. Look at the picture. Sure it's possible to have a radiation ring and a rock/ice belt, but that doesn't change the fact that a radiation belt was found.

      --
      'SBEMAIL!' is better than a goat!!
  2. It could be worse... by pyrrhonist · · Score: 4, Funny

    There could be a new ring around Uranus.

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    Show me on the doll where his noodly appendage touched you.
  3. We know nothing by numLocked · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I think this is one of the most exciting missions NASA has done in a quite some time. Articles like this really remind us that we have no idea what's going on and that there's a whole lot out there we haven't seen. Exploration is something else. I think what NASA really needs is some better marketing so people who aren't paying attention to these types of missions are drawn in. People love exploration - they just don't realize it's going on.

  4. About the Glowing Moon by Cabriel · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Space.com has a free article which deals in part with Titan's glowing nature. The last four paragraphs, specifically: Click Here

  5. Dammit! by new+death+barbie · · Score: 3, Funny

    The last one off Titan was supposed to turn off the light!

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    It's supposed to be completely automatic, but actually you have to press this button.