Mass of Saturn's Rings 3x previous estimates

[brellis]

From Emily Lakdawalla's planetary blog: at next week's 39th annual meeting of the AAS Division of Planetary Sciences, this abstract states:<br /><br /><font color="yellow">Both Cassini observations and N-body simulations of Saturn’s rings point towards extensive particle clumping in Saturn’s B ring. As a result, observed optical depths are actually measuring the fractional area between these opaque clumps rather than the density of material within the clumps themselves. <b>The inferred total mass of Saturn’s ring is therefore likely to be at least three times more massive than previously estimated, or three times more massive than the satellite, Mimas.</b> </font><br /><br />Cassini is informing us, as it raises new questions. Do we need to take another look at other mass estimates, like the asteroid belt, Kuiper belt and Oort cloud?<br /><br />This week is gonna be fun, lots of new info being presented <img src="/images/icons/cool.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font size="2" color="#ff0000"><em><strong>I'm a recovering optimist - things could be better.</strong></em></font> </p> </div>

 

[docm]

<font color="yellow">Cassini is informing us, as it raises new questions. Do we need to take another look at other mass estimates, like the asteroid belt, Kuiper belt and Oort cloud?</font><br /><br />The short answer is yes, especially given how far this one was off. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[jaxtraw]

In terms of "satellite numerology", that puts the parent body which broke up to form the rings as being in the same "mass class" as Dione.

 

[h2ouniverse]

In reply to<br />-----------------<br />Do we need to take another look at other mass estimates, like the asteroid belt, Kuiper belt and Oort cloud? <br />-----------------------<br /><br />Hi Brellis.<br />Fully in line with you!<br />I think KB mass is probably underestimated...<br />

 

[3488]

Hi jaxtraw,<br /><br />I am afraid that is not correct.<br /><br />Mass of Mimas = 0.375 x (10 to the power of 20 KG).<br /><br />Mass of Dione = 11.0 x (10 to the power of 20 KG).<br /><br />Dione is appox 30 times the mass of Mimas. <br /><br />So the revived mass of Saturn's rings are are about a third more than the mass of Enceladus<br />which is 0.65 x (10 to the power of 20 KG).<br /><br />Upper revised increased mass of Saturn's rings = 1 x (10 to the power of 20 KG).<br /><br />The total revised increased mass of Saturn's rings is barely 9% of Dione's mass.<br /><br />Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080">"I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before".</font> <em><strong><font color="#000000">Linda Morabito </font></strong><font color="#800000">on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.</font></em></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://www.launchphotography.com/</font><br /><br /><font size="1" color="#000080">http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearth</font></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://web.me.com/meridianijournal</font></p> </div>

 

[jaxtraw]

That'll teach me to do mental arithmetic before my first coffee. <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /><br /><br />Somehow managed to jump an order of magnitude! Gaah.<br /><br />*Throws partially completed paper on mysterious patterns in satellite masses in wastebin*