New Ring Discovered Around Saturn

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

New Ring Discovered Around Saturn

Posted by CowboyNeal on Thursday September 9, 2004 @02:54PM

HunahpuMonkey writes "BBC News is reporting that 'scientists using the Cassini probe have found a new ring and one, possibly two, new objects orbiting Saturn.' The article also notes that the discoveries are in the planet's contorted F-ring region. The ring of new material seems to be associated with Saturn's moon Atlas."

11 of 179 comments (clear)

Footfall by rossdee · 2004-09-09 14:59 · Score: 5, Funny

The Fithp are coming...
Re:Not another one... by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-09 14:59 · Score: 5, Funny

That's what? 32,638 so far?
Let's hope cassini has something better than a signed 16 bit counter
Re:Stupid Question by Nos. · 2004-09-09 15:03 · Score: 5, Informative

There's a good article here about what exactly makes up a moon. I can tell you its not about gravity since basically every object with mass has gravity.
Re:Stupid Question by rokzy · 2004-09-09 15:08 · Score: 5, Informative

"satellite" means orbiting a planet.
"moon" means natural satellite.
"Moon" means Earth's moon.
Previously-unseen objects out by Saturn??? by phillymjs · 2004-09-09 15:14 · Score: 5, Funny

Oh, no! It's all coming true!

~Philly
Asimov's view... by interactive_civilian · 2004-09-09 16:00 · Score: 5, Insightful

I prefer the idea which Asimov put out in Foundation and Earth: Only the Earth's satellite is called "Moon". Everything else is either referred to by name or as a satellite of [planet].
This seems good to me. Just call our satellite the Moon, call Mars's satellites Phobos and Deimos(sp?), Jupiter's Io, Europa, etc, and so on, and anything without a name or newly discovered can simply be called satellite.

--
"Empathise with stupidity, and you're halfway to thinking like an idiot." - Iain M. Banks
Re:Stupid Question by pyrrhonist · 2004-09-09 16:02 · Score: 5, Funny

Now, what is a satallite.. acording to the Merriam-Webster dictionary (online), it says:
How the heck did you look up satellite in the dictionary and still manage to spell it wrong?

--
Show me on the doll where his noodly appendage touched you.
*Earth* is gonna have a ring... by tajmorton · 2004-09-09 16:34 · Score: 5, Insightful

Earth is going to have a ring of space crap around it in a few years...

In other news...AOL announced a plan to send thousands of free hours into space. They will be delivered by sending up junk in the shuttle @ 1.5M a launch.

--
Tell the truth and you won't have so much to remember.
Change it by prelelat · 2004-09-09 16:37 · Score: 5, Funny

well then how come slashdot hasn't changed the icon that goes with the space stories. I won't believe theirs anouther ring until that happens.
Re:reaching the point... by AlexMidn1ght · 2004-09-09 16:40 · Score: 5, Funny

It's fairly easy to distinguish moons and debris...

Debris are made of rock
Moons are made of cheese
More sinister however..... by trellick · 2004-09-09 18:18 · Score: 5, Funny

Personally I think conspiracy theorists will be far more concerned because this article simply comes 'from the dept'..nothing more....

THE dept!!! Scary....

Who are they!? What is their agenda!?