Astronomers Discover Massive Saturn Ring-Telescope Spots More Than 4 Million Mile Ring

[The Straight Story]

Astronomers Discover Massive Saturn Ring
NASA Telescope Spots More Than 4 Million Mile Ring


PASADENA, Calif. -- The Spitzer Space Telescope has discovered the biggest but never-before-seen ring around the planet Saturn, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory announced late Tuesday.

The thin array of ice and dust particles lies at the far reaches of the Saturnian system and its orbit is tilted 27 degrees from the planet's main ring plane, the laboratory said.

JPL spokeswoman Whitney Clavin said the ring is very diffuse and doesn't reflect much visible light but the infrared Spitzer telescope was able to detect it.

Although the ring dust is very cold -- minus 316 degrees Fahrenheit -- it shines with thermal radiation.

No one had looked at its location with an infrared instrument until now, Clavin said.



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[neverforget]

1. Cool!

[Statistical]

2. No wonder they didn't notice.

Who would look for a ring 2 million miles (radius) from the planet?

Pretty cool stuff though.

[omega minimo]

3. Well blow me down.

Maybe that's what the moon will look like after the boneheads bomb it.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

4. So just more rings? Not squares or triangles or pentacles?

So much for change, Mr. Obama.

[hvn_nbr_2]

8. You have to have "the sight" to see the pentacles. nt

[Rex]

5. Wow!

[Octafish]

6. That is fantastic!

What an age this is, one where we are able to see and know things our ancestors could not have imagined.

Thank you for the wonderful news, The Straight Story. What an incredible universe!

[Forkboy]

7. Very cool.

Thanks for posting it.

[Cha]

9. Just WOW! Saturn's just a

beautiful Planet!

[Dogmudgeon]

10. Cool!

Minus 316 degrees Fahrenheit, in fact.

So -- Cool? or "Brrrr!" -- ?

--d!

[TheKentuckian]

11. That is awesome. Thanks (nt)