//www.koonmotors.com/news/space_time/saturn/ Saturn News. Learn all about Saturn. Read astronomy articles on Saturn's ring spokes, Saturn's moons, even Titan's sand dunes. Pictures. en-us Fri, 08 Sep 2023 11:50:15 EDT Fri, 08 Sep 2023 11:50:15 EDT 60 //www.koonmotors.com/images/scidaily-logo-rss.png//www.koonmotors.com/news/space_time/saturn/ For more science news, visit ScienceDaily. //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230710180457.htm A new technique allows scientists to see how intensely rivers used to flow on Mars, and how they currently flow on Titan. The method uses satellite observations to estimate the rate at which rivers move fluid and sediment downstream. Mon, 10 Jul 2023 18:04:57 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230710180457.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230701135758.htm Saturn's iconic rings seem to glow eerily in this incredible infrared picture, which also unveils unexpected features in Saturn's atmosphere. This image serves as context for an observing program that will test the telescope's capacity to detect faint moons around the planet and its bright rings. Any newly discovered moons could help scientists put together a more complete picture of the current system of Saturn, as well as its past. 坐,2023年7月1日13:57:58美国东部时间 //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230701135758.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/06/230614220041.htm The search for extraterrestrial life in our solar system just got more exciting. A team of scientists has discovered new evidence that the subsurface ocean of Saturn's moon Enceladus contains a key building block for life. The team directly detected phosphorus in the form of phosphates originating from the moon's ice-covered global ocean using data from NASA's Cassini mission. Cassini explored Saturn and its system of rings and moons for over 13 years. Wed, 14 Jun 2023 22:00:41 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/06/230614220041.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/05/230530125456.htm Scientists have observed a towering plume of water vapor more than 6,000 miles long -- roughly the distance from the U.S. to Japan -- spewing from the surface of Saturn's moon, Enceladus. Tue, 30 May 2023 12:54:56 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/05/230530125456.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/05/230512144752.htm Physicists measured the flux of interplanetary dust around Saturn. The researchers concluded that the planet's rings formed less than 400 million years ago, making them much younger than Saturn itself. Fri, 12 May 2023 14:47:52 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/05/230512144752.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/02/230223181805.htm Enceladus, the sixth largest of Saturn's moons, is known for spraying out tiny icy silica particles -- so many of them that the particles are a key component of the second outermost ring around Saturn. Scientists have not known how that happens or how long the process takes. A study now shows that tidal heating in Enceladus' core creates currents that transport the silica, which is likely released by deep-sea hydrothermal vents, over the course of just a few months. Thu, 23 Feb 2023 18:18:05 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/02/230223181805.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/02/230209094205.htm Since their discovery by NASA's Voyager mission in the 1980s, temporary 'spoke' features across Saturn's rings have fascinated scientists, yet eluded explanation. They have been observed in the years preceding and following the planet's equinox, becoming more prominent as the date approaches. Saturn's upcoming autumnal equinox of the northern hemisphere on May 6, 2025, means that spoke season has come again. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope will be on the job studying the spokes, thanks to time dedicated to Saturn in the mission's ongoing Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) program. Are the smudgy features related to Saturn's magnetic field and its interaction with the solar wind, as prevailing theory suggests? Confirmation could come in this spoke season, as scientists combine archival data from NASA's Cassini mission with new Hubble observations. Thu, 09 Feb 2023 09:42:05 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/02/230209094205.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/02/230208125042.htm Scientists have discovered a new ring system around a dwarf planet on the edge of the Solar System. The ring system orbits much further out than is typical for other ring systems, calling into question current theories of how ring systems are formed. Wed, 08 Feb 2023 12:50:42 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/02/230208125042.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230131101520.htm When a scientist discovered surprising evidence that Saturn's smallest, innermost moon could generate the right amount of heat to support a liquid internal ocean, colleagues began studying Mimas' surface to understand how its interior may have evolved. Numerical simulations of the moon's Herschel impact basin, the most striking feature on its heavily cratered surface, determined that the basin's structure and the lack of tectonics on Mimas are compatible with a thinning ice shell and geologically young ocean. Tue, 31 Jan 2023 10:15:20 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230131101520.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/10/221018131129.htm Scientists have compiled 41 solar occultation observations of Saturn's rings from the Cassini mission. The compilation will inform future investigations of the particle size distribution and composition of Saturn's rings, key elements to understanding their formation and evolution. Tue, 18 Oct 2022 13:11:29 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/10/221018131129.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/09/220919155027.htm The search for extraterrestrial life just got more interesting as a team of scientists has discovered new evidence for a key building block for life in the subsurface ocean of Saturn's moon Enceladus. New modeling indicates that Enceladus's ocean should be relatively rich in dissolved phosphorus, an essential ingredient for life. Mon, 19 Sep 2022 15:50:27 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/09/220919155027.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/09/220915142436.htm Scientists propose a lost moon of Saturn, which they call Chrysalis, pulled on the planet until it ripped apart, forming rings and contributing to Saturn's tilt. Thu, 15 Sep 2022 14:24:36 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/09/220915142436.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/08/220823115615.htm Abundant internet claims about the acoustic power of the Saturn V suggest that it melted concrete and lit grass on fire over a mile away, but such ideas are undeniably false. Researchers used a physics-based model to estimate the rocket's acoustic levels and obtained a value of 203 decibels, which matched the limited data from the 1960s. So, while the Saturn V was extremely loud, that kind of power is nowhere near enough to melt concrete or start grass fires. Tue, 23 Aug 2022 11:56:15 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/08/220823115615.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/07/220721101508.htm Because it's bigger, Jupiter ought to have larger, more spectacular rings than Saturn has. But new research shows Jupiter's massive moons prevent that vision from lighting up the night sky. Thu, 21 Jul 2022 10:15:08 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/07/220721101508.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/06/220621105644.htm A new study describes how unique populations of craters on two of Saturn's moons could help indicate the satellites' age and the conditions of their formation. Using data from NASA's Cassini mission, researchers have surveyed elliptical craters on Saturn's moons Tethys and Dione for this study. Tue, 21 Jun 2022 10:56:44 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/06/220621105644.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/05/220503190146.htm A planetary scientist worked with engineers to measure the physical limits for a liquid when salty water is at very high pressure. The results suggest where to look for extraterrestrial life in the ice-covered oceans of Jupiter's moon Europa and Saturn's moon Titan. Tue, 03 May 2022 19:01:46 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/05/220503190146.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/02/220208085022.htm Space scientists have discovered a never-before-seen mechanism fueling huge planetary aurorae at Saturn. Tue, 08 Feb 2022 08:50:22 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/02/220208085022.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/01/220119101203.htm A scientist recently set out to prove that the tiny, innermost moon of Saturn was a frozen inert satellite and instead discovered compelling evidence that Mimas has a liquid internal ocean. In the waning days of NASA's Cassini mission, the spacecraft identified a curious libration, or oscillation, in the moon's rotation, which often points to a geologically active body able to support an internal ocean. Wed, 19 Jan 2022 10:12:03 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/01/220119101203.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/10/211018130346.htm With future space exploration in mind, a team of astronomers has published the final maps of Titan's liquid methane rivers and tributaries -- as seen by NASA's late Cassini mission -- so that may help provide context for Dragonfly's upcoming 2030s expedition. Mon, 18 Oct 2021 13:03:46 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/10/211018130346.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/08/210810143051.htm The NASA Dragonfly mission will send a rotorcraft relocatable lander to the surface of Saturn's moon Titan in the mid-2030s; it will be the first mission to explore the surface of Titan. Tue, 10 Aug 2021 14:30:51 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/08/210810143051.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/07/210708135338.htm Tidal stresses may be causing constant icequakes on Saturn's sixth largest moon Enceladus, a world of interest in the search for life beyond Earth, according to a new study. Thu, 08 Jul 2021 13:53:38 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/07/210708135338.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/05/210505130531.htm New simulations offer an intriguing look into Saturn's interior, suggesting that a thick layer of helium rain influences the planet's magnetic field. Wed, 05 May 2021 13:05:31 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/05/210505130531.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/03/210325190249.htm New research could inform where to one day search for signs of life on Saturn's moon Enceladus. Thu, 25 Mar 2021 19:02:49 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/03/210325190249.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/01/210121132103.htm 科学家们只是表明,S的影响aturn's satellites can explain the tilt of the rotation axis of the gas giant. Their work also predicts that the tilt will increase even further over the next few billion years. Thu, 21 Jan 2021 13:21:03 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/01/210121132103.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/01/210121131921.htm Far below the gaseous atmospheric shroud on Saturn's largest moon, Titan, lies Kraken Mare, a sea of liquid methane. Astronomers have estimated that sea to be at least 1,000-feet deep near its center - enough room for a potential robotic submarine to explore. Thu, 21 Jan 2021 13:19:21 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/01/210121131921.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/01/210119102853.htm Scientists develop theoretical models to predict the presence of clathrate hydrates outside Earth, shedding light on the evolution of other atmospheres. Tue, 19 Jan 2021 10:28:53 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/01/210119102853.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2020/10/201029115802.htm New work reveals the likely original locations of Saturn and Jupiter. These findings refine our understanding of the forces that determined our Solar System's unusual architecture, including the ejection of an additional planet between Saturn and Uranus, ensuring that only small, rocky planets, like Earth, formed inward of Jupiter. Thu, 29 Oct 2020 11:58:02 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2020/10/201029115802.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2020/10/201006165740.htm Researchers create a new 3D model that could explain the formation of a hexagon storm on Saturn -- a hurricane about 20,000 miles in diameter. Tue, 06 Oct 2020 16:57:40 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2020/10/201006165740.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2020/07/200723143759.htm Saturn is truly the lord of the rings in this latest snapshot from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, taken on July 4, 2020, when the opulent giant world was 839 million miles from Earth. A new Saturn image was taken during summer in the planet's northern hemisphere. Thu, 23 Jul 2020 14:37:59 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2020/07/200723143759.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2020/04/200406190444.htm New analysis of data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft found that electric currents, triggered by interactions between solar winds and charged particles from Saturn's moons, spark the auroras and heat the planet's upper atmosphere. Mon, 06 Apr 2020 19:04:44 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2020/04/200406190444.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2020/03/200309110250.htm Numerical simulations showed that the temperature gradient in the disk of gas around a young gas giant planet could play a critical role in the development of a satellite system dominated by a single large moon, similar to Titan around Saturn. Researchers found that dust in the circumplanetary disk can create a 'safety zone,' which keeps the moon from falling into the planet as the system evolves. Mon, 09 Mar 2020 11:02:50 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2020/03/200309110250.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2020/03/200302153606.htm Some of the extremely low-density, 'cotton candy like' exoplanets called super-puffs may actually have rings, according to new research. Mon, 02 Mar 2020 15:36:06 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2020/03/200302153606.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2020/03/200302113336.htm Researchers have made a new contribution to the ongoing search into the possibility of life on Titan, Saturn's largest moon. Using quantum mechanical calculations, they have shown that azotosomes, a proposed alternative to cell membranes, could not form under the conditions there. Mon, 02 Mar 2020 11:33:36 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2020/03/200302113336.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2020/02/200214134709.htm Planetary scientists have revealed the secrets of the atmosphere of Titan, the largest moon of Saturn. The team found a chemical footprint in Titan's atmosphere indicating that cosmic rays coming from outside the Solar System affect the chemical reactions involved in the formation of nitrogen-bearing organic molecules. This is the first observational confirmation of such processes, and impacts the understanding of the intriguing environment of Titan. Fri, 14 Feb 2020 13:47:09 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2020/02/200214134709.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/12/191209110527.htm Slashed across the south pole of Saturn's moon Enceladus are four straight, parallel fissures or 'tiger stripes' from which water erupts. These fissures aren't quite like anything else in the Solar System. Researchers now think they have a model to explain them. Mon, 09 Dec 2019 11:05:27 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/12/191209110527.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/12/191203114522.htm Scientists studying the weather and climate of Titan, Saturn's largest moon, have reported a significant seasonal variation in its energy budget, a finding which could yield new insights into climate on Earth. Tue, 03 Dec 2019 11:45:22 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/12/191203114522.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/10/191018100506.htm Astronomers exposed acetylene ice -- a chemical that is used on Earth in welding torches and exists at Titan's equatorial regions -- at low temperatures to proxies of high-energy galactic cosmic rays. Fri, 18 Oct 2019 10:05:06 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/10/191018100506.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/10/191007123234.htm Move over Jupiter; Saturn is the new moon king. A team has found 20 new moons orbiting Saturn. This brings the ringed planet's total number of moons to 82, surpassing Jupiter, which has 79. Mon, 07 Oct 2019 12:32:34 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/10/191007123234.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/09/190918105635.htm No one knows for certain when Saturn's iconic rings formed, but a new study suggests that they are much older than some scientists think. Wed, 18 Sep 2019 10:56:35 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/09/190918105635.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/09/190912120537.htm Saturn is so beautiful that astronomers cannot resist using the Hubble Space Telescope to take yearly snapshots of the ringed world when it is at its closest distance to Earth. These images, however, are more than just beauty shots. They reveal a planet with a turbulent, dynamic atmosphere. Thu, 12 Sep 2019 12:05:37 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/09/190912120537.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/09/190910114251.htm Data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft may help explain why some methane-filled lakes on Saturn's moon Titan are surrounded by steep rims that reach hundreds of feet high. The models suggests that explosions of warming nitrogen created basins in the moon's crust. Tue, 10 Sep 2019 11:42:51 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/09/190910114251.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/07/190703121408.htm Researchers from Southern Methodist University (SMU) could help determine if Saturn's icy moon -- Titan -- has ever been home to life long before NASA completes an exploratory visit to its surface by a drone helicopter. Wed, 03 Jul 2019 12:14:08 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/07/190703121408.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/06/190624111528.htm The frigid lakeshores of Saturn's moon Titan might be encrusted with strange, unearthly minerals, according to new research. Mon, 24 Jun 2019 11:15:28 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/06/190624111528.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/06/190620153544.htm 两个望远镜测量了微弱的热量从the main, or epsilon ring, of Uranus, enabling astronomers for the first time to determine its temperature: a cool 77 Kelvin. Earlier images of the rings came from reflected light only. The observations also show that the rings lack dust, which is common in the rings of other planets, and are composed of centimeter-sized particles and larger. Thu, 20 Jun 2019 15:35:44 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/06/190620153544.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/06/190617164658.htm As NASA's Cassini dove close to Saturn in its final year, the spacecraft provided intricate detail on the workings of Saturn's complex rings, new analysis shows. Mon, 17 Jun 2019 16:46:58 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/06/190617164658.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/06/190611133941.htm Researchers have shown that Mimas, one of Saturn's moons, acted as a kind of remote snowplough, pushing apart the ice particles that make up the rings. Tue, 11 Jun 2019 13:39:41 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/06/190611133941.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/06/190604131135.htm New research looks at the possibility of moons outside our solar system causing gaps in the rings of planet J1407b. Tue, 04 Jun 2019 13:11:35 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/06/190604131135.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/04/190429111829.htm A deep learning approach to detecting storms on Saturn shows the vast regions affected by storms and that dark storm clouds contain material swept up from the lower atmosphere. Mon, 29 Apr 2019 11:18:29 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/04/190429111829.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/04/190429111826.htm Research team finds huge ice feature on Titan while trying to understand where Saturn's largest moon gets all of its methane. This research, which used Principal Components Analysis in an unconventional way, also validated results from previous Titan missions. Mon, 29 Apr 2019 11:18:26 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/04/190429111826.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/04/190416143550.htm On its final flyby of Saturn's largest moon in 2017, NASA's Cassini spacecraft gathered radar data revealing that the small liquid lakes in Titan's northern hemisphere are surprisingly deep, perched atop hills and filled with methane. Tue, 16 Apr 2019 14:35:50 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/04/190416143550.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/03/190328170639.htm New findings have emerged about five tiny moons nestled in and near Saturn's rings. The closest-ever flybys by NASA's Cassini spacecraft reveal that the surfaces of these unusual moons are covered with material from the planet's rings -- and from icy particles blasting out of Saturn's larger moon Enceladus. The work paints a picture of the competing processes shaping these mini-moons. Thu, 28 Mar 2019 17:06:39 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/03/190328170639.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/03/190306152409.htm The latest data from the giant planets has sent researchers back to the drawing board. Cassini orbited Saturn for 13 years before its dramatic final dive into the planet's interior, while Juno has been orbiting Jupiter for two and a half years; the data collected has been 'invaluable but also confounding,' said one of the researchers. Wed, 06 Mar 2019 15:24:09 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/03/190306152409.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/01/190123105842.htm A new study tackles one of the greatest mysteries about Titan, one of Saturn's moons: the origin of its thick, nitrogen-rich atmosphere. The study posits that one key to Titan's mysterious atmosphere is the 'cooking' of organic material in the moon's interior. Wed, 23 Jan 2019 10:58:42 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/01/190123105842.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/01/190118123019.htm 土星光环的独特观察调降edented detail by NASA's Cassini spacecraft, and scientists have now used those observations to probe the interior of the giant planet and obtain the first precise determination of its rotation rate. The length of a day on Saturn, according to their calculations, is 10 hours 33 minutes and 38 seconds. Fri, 18 Jan 2019 12:30:19 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/01/190118123019.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/01/190117142159.htm In its last days, the Cassini spacecraft looped between Saturn and its rings so that Earth-based radio telescopes could track the gravitational tug of each. Scientists have now used these measurements to determine the mass of the rings and estimate its age, which is young: 10-100 million years. This supports the hypothesis that the rings are rubble from a comet or Kuiper Belt object captured late in Saturn's history. Thu, 17 Jan 2019 14:21:59 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/01/190117142159.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/01/190116115537.htm An image from the international Cassini spacecraft provides evidence of rainfall on the north pole of Titan, the largest of Saturn's moons. The rainfall would be the first indication of the start of a summer season in the moon's northern hemisphere. Wed, 16 Jan 2019 11:55:37 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2019/01/190116115537.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2018/12/181217120032.htm New NASA research confirms that Saturn is losing its iconic rings at the maximum rate estimated from Voyager 1 and 2 observations made decades ago. The rings are being pulled into Saturn by gravity as a dusty rain of ice particles under the influence of Saturn's magnetic field. Mon, 17 Dec 2018 12:00:32 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2018/12/181217120032.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2018/11/181129103506.htm Scientists have discovered a new method to explain how radiation belts are formed around the planet Saturn. Thu, 29 Nov 2018 10:35:06 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2018/11/181129103506.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2018/11/181119155959.htm Forget those shepherding moons. Gravity and the odd shapes of asteroid Chariklo and dwarf planet Haumea -- small objects deep in our solar system -- can be credited for forming and maintaining their own rings, according new research. Mon, 19 Nov 2018 15:59:59 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2018/11/181119155959.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2018/10/181004143937.htm A new study based on data from the final orbits last year of NASA's Cassini spacecraft shows the rings of Saturn -- some of the most visually stupendous objects in the universe -- are far more chemically complicated than previously was understood. Thu, 04 Oct 2018 14:39:37 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2018/10/181004143937.htm