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Researchers Weigh the Central Parts of Saturn’s most Massive Ring for the 1st time

Researchers weigh the central parts of Saturn's most massive ring for the first time

Saturn’s B ring is the most opaque of the main rings, appearing almost black in this Cassini image taken from the unlit side of the ringplane. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

It seems intuitive opaque material should contain more stuff than a more translucent substance. But this does not always apply, according to a recent study of the rings using data from NASA’s Cassini mission. Saturn’s B ring is the brightest and most opaque of Saturn’s rings, and are consistent with previous studies that found similar results for Saturn’s other main rings.

Researchers weigh the central parts of Saturn's most massive ring for the first time

Some parts of Saturn’s B ring are up to 10 times more opaque than the neighboring A ring, but the B ring may weigh in at only two to three times the A ring’s mass. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

While opacity of B ...

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