The three separate components of Saturn's F-ring are seen in this image taken by NASA's Voyager l on Nov. 12, 1980, from a range of 750,000 kilometers (466,000) miles.
Two prominent bright strands appear twisted and kinked, while the fainter, innermost third strand largely lacks such non-uniformities. The kinking appearance of the ring may be caused by the gravitational perturbations of two nearby satellites -- S-13 on the outside and S-14 on the inside -- or the effect may be caused by electromagnetic forces upon small F-ring particles.
The Voyager Project is managed for NASA by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
Acquired: November 1980 |
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PIA 02272
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