
Mysterious Objects Punching Holes In Weird Saturn Ring
Mysterious objects appear to be doing some damage to Saturn's "weirdest ring," scientists say.
The discovery comes from
detailed photos taken of the Saturn system by NASA's Cassini orbiter. In these images, researchers
spotted strange objects about a half-mile (kilometer) wide tearing through Saturn's F ring, the thin outermost discrete ring around the planet.
As they pass through the ring, these interlopers
drag glittering ice particles out with them, creating visible trails of debris scientists are calling "mini jets." "I think the F ring is Saturn's weirdest ring, and these latest Cassini results go to show how
the F ring is even more dynamic than we ever thought," Carl Murray, a Cassini imaging team member based at London's Queen Mary University, said in a statement. "These findings show us that
the F ring region is like a bustling zoo of objects from a half mile in size to moons like Prometheus a hundred miles in size, creating a spectacular show."
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Amazing!
