Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

IR brightness and eclipse cooling of Saturn's rings

Nature volume 283, pages 842–843 (1980)Cite this article

Abstract

Equatorial scans of Saturn at 20 µm wavelength, obtained with the Mayall 4-m telescope in 1978–79, show a continuing decrease in the specific brightness of the A and B rings as the ring plane projection approaches an edge-on apparition. The decreased brightness of the previously dominant B ring reveals more clearly a large (∼30%) difference in brightness between the east and west ansa portions of the C ring, in contrast to a barely discernible difference for the other ring ansae. The amount of eclipse cooling is compatible with a C ring particle size of ∼1 cm. We propose here that the B ring brightness variation could partially result from a decrease of absorbed insolation by a modest amount of visible scattering.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Nolt, I. G., Tokunaga, A., Gillett, F. C. & Caldwell, J. Astrophys. J. Lett. 219, L63 (1978).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  2. Gautier, D. & Courtin, R. Icarus 39, 28 (1979).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  3. Courtin, R. et al. Icarus 38, 411 (1979).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. Tokunaga, A., Caldwell, J., Gillett, F. C. & Nolt, I. G. Icarus 39, 46 (1979).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. Aumann H. H. & Kieffer, H. H. Astrophys. J. 186, 305 (1973).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. Kawata, Y. & Irvine, W. H. Icarus 24, 472 (1975).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  7. Pollack, J. B. Space Sci. Rev. 18, 3 (1975).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. Murphy, R. E., Cruikshank, D. P. & Morrison, D. Bull. Am astr. Soc. 4, 358 (1972).

    Google Scholar 

  9. Morrison, D. Icarus 22, 57 (1974).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  10. Murphy, R. E. Astrophys. J. Lett. 181, L65 (1975).

    Google Scholar 

  11. Reike, G. H. Icarus 26, 37 (1975).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Atmospheric Physics and Chemistry Laboratory, NOAA, Boulder, Colorado, 80303

    I. G. Nolt & E. W. Barrett

  2. Department of Earth and Space Science, SUNY, Stony Brook, New York, 11794

    J. Caldwell

  3. Kitt Peak National Observatory, PO Box 26732, Tucson, Arizona, 85726

    F. C. Gillett

  4. Code SL4, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC, 20546

    R. E. Murphy

  5. Department of Physics, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, 97403

    J. V. Radostitz

  6. Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, 85721

    A. T. Tokunaga

Authors
  1. I. G. Nolt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. E. W. Barrett
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. J. Caldwell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. F. C. Gillett
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. R. E. Murphy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. J. V. Radostitz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. A. T. Tokunaga
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Nolt, I., Barrett, E., Caldwell, J. et al. IR brightness and eclipse cooling of Saturn's rings. Nature 283, 842–843 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1038/283842a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/283842a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing