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The composition of Saturn's E ring

Kempf, S.; Postberg, F.; Srama, R. +7 more

We present the first in situ direct measurement of the composition of particles in Saturn's rings. The Cassini cosmic dust analyser (CDA) measured the mass spectra of nearly 300 impacting dust particles during the 2004 October E ring crossing. An initial interpretation of the data shows that the particles are predominantly water ice, with minor co…

Moonlets wandering on a leash-ring

Spahn, F.; Winter, O. C.; Mourão, D. C. +2 more

Since the Voyager flybys, embedded moonlets have been proposed to explain some of the surprising structures observed in Saturn's narrow F ring. Experiments conducted with the Cassini spacecraft support this suggestion. Images of the F ring show bright compact spots, and seven occultations of stars by the F ring, monitored by ultraviolet and infrar…