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The "Propellers" of the Rings (1) - HR
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This collection of 3 Cassini images provides context for understanding the location and scale of some "propeller-shaped features" observed within Saturn's A-Ring.
Careful analysis of the HR images taken by Cassini's cameras as the spacecraft slipped into Saturn orbit revealed the 4 faint, propeller-shaped double-streaks in an otherwise bland part of the mid A-Ring. Imaging scientists believe the "propellers" provide the first direct observation of the dynamical effects of moonlets which are approx. 100 mt (such as about 300 feet) in diameter.
The propeller moonlets represent a so far unseen size-class of particles orbiting within the Rings.
The 2nd panel provides broad context within the Rings, and shows the B-Ring, the Cassini Division, the A-Ring and the F-Ring. Image scale in the radial, or outward from Saturn, direction is about 45 Km (about 28 miles) per pixel; because the Rings are viewed at an angle, the image scale in the longitudinal - or circumferential - direction is several times greater.
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