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Post Info TOPIC: Uranus rings
Blobrana


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RE: Uranus rings
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Title: Are there moonlets near Uranus' alpha and beta rings?.
Author: R. O. Chancia, M. M. Hedman

The Voyager 2 Radio Science Subsystem (RSS) occultations of Uranus' alpha and beta rings exhibit quasi-periodic optical depth variations with radial wavelengths that vary with longitude. These patterns may be wakes from small moonlets orbiting exterior to these rings. Based on the observed structures in the rings, we estimate that the moonlets would need to be located about 100 km exterior to the rings' semi-major axes and be 2-7 km in radius. Such moonlets could help keep the rings confined. Due to their small radii and presumed low albedo, the expected brightness of these moonlets is on the order of the noise in Voyager 2 images.

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Blobrana


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The Hubble space telescope photographed Uranus and its rings on the 14th August, 1995.

 NASA's Hubble Discovers New Rings and Moons Around Uranus

hs-2005-33-c-large_web.jpg


NASA's Hubble Space Telescope photographed a new pair of rings around Uranus and two new, small moons orbiting the planet.
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Spoiler

Near-infrared view of Uranus by the European Southern Observatory



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