Rings of Saturn

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Indiana University, Kokomo *

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100

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Astronomy

Date

Oct 30, 2023

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pdf

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Uploaded by DoctorValor9992

Active Learning Tutorials for Astronomy & Space Science 57 Saturn’s Rings 26 Saturn’s majestic ring system has fascinated astronomers since they were first observed hundreds of years ago. It’s a complex system, in which the planet’s motion cause changes in its appearance. 1. Saturn’s wide rings are incredibly thin, so much so that they can seem to disappear. In which years were Saturn’s rings nearly invisible as seen from Earth? 2. For the observations listed, in which year were Saturn’s rings most easily visible? 3. How many years between Saturn’s ring’s disappearances. 5. Saturn takes about 29 years to orbit the Sun once. How long does it take Saturn to go ½ way around? 6. How long does it take Saturn to go ¼ of the way around in its orbit? 7. What do Saturn’s rings look like at Position A? Circle one : Broadside Nearly invisible 8. What do Saturn’s rings look like at Position B? Circle one : Broadside Nearly invisible 9. Why do Saturn’s rings “nearly disappear” regularly? The following spectra were taken by NASA’s Cassini-Huygens on its mission to explore Saturn and its moons, including the moon Titan. The observed spectra are on the left side of the page. The spectra of four elements are given on the right side of the page. Position A Position B (Saturn 2001-2029 adapted from simulations by Tom Ruen for public domain under CC BY-SA 3.0)

Field-Test Edition © CAPER 2019 58 10. What element(s) can we observe in Saturn’s rings? 11. What element(s) can we observe in Titan’s atmosphere? 12. If you were allowed to take observations to search for one other element in Titan’s atmosphere, which element would you choose? Spectrum of Saturn’s Rings Spectrum of Titan’s Atmosphere

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