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.
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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