Birth of a ‘new Saturn moon’ witnessed
WENN.com
First posted: Sunday, April 20, 2014 11:31 AM EDT | Updated: Sunday, April 20, 2014 11:46 AM EDT
Scientists say they have discovered what could be the birth of the 63rd moon in Saturn's orbit.
The evidence comes from a black-and-white image of the outermost ring captured by the Cassini spacecraft and is yet to be confirmed.
The moon, informally called Peggy, is estimated to be about half a mile (1 km) in diameter and it is almost certainly made of ice.
The most obvious theory is that because the rings contain so much ice, and because many of Saturn's moons are composed primarily of ice, the rings provide the nursery for new moons before they migrate to more distant orbits.
Peggy's lifespan looks dubious - if it stays inside the rings, it could collide with ice and if it migrates, it could clash with larger moons.
A natural-colour image of Saturn from space, the first in which Saturn, its moons and rings, and Earth, Venus and Mars, all are visible, is seen in this NASA handout taken from the Cassini spacecraft July 19, 2013 and released November 12, 2013. (REUTERS/NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI/Handout via Reuters)
Birth of a ‘new Saturn moon’ witnessed | World | News | Toronto Sun
WENN.com
First posted: Sunday, April 20, 2014 11:31 AM EDT | Updated: Sunday, April 20, 2014 11:46 AM EDT
Scientists say they have discovered what could be the birth of the 63rd moon in Saturn's orbit.
The evidence comes from a black-and-white image of the outermost ring captured by the Cassini spacecraft and is yet to be confirmed.
The moon, informally called Peggy, is estimated to be about half a mile (1 km) in diameter and it is almost certainly made of ice.
The most obvious theory is that because the rings contain so much ice, and because many of Saturn's moons are composed primarily of ice, the rings provide the nursery for new moons before they migrate to more distant orbits.
Peggy's lifespan looks dubious - if it stays inside the rings, it could collide with ice and if it migrates, it could clash with larger moons.
A natural-colour image of Saturn from space, the first in which Saturn, its moons and rings, and Earth, Venus and Mars, all are visible, is seen in this NASA handout taken from the Cassini spacecraft July 19, 2013 and released November 12, 2013. (REUTERS/NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI/Handout via Reuters)
Birth of a ‘new Saturn moon’ witnessed | World | News | Toronto Sun
