#PPOD: Mimas drifts along in its orbit against the azure backdrop of Saturn's northern latitudes in this true-color view. The long, dark lines on the atmosphere are shadows cast by the planet's rings. At the bottom, craters on icy Mimas (398 kilometers) give the moon a dimpled appearance. Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute/CICLOPS
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You ever hear a fact that utterly blows your mind? That would be impossible to believe if there weren't photographic evidence?
Saturn's rings can be counted like rings on a treestump. They tell the story of the entire Saturn system's history.
What's more, they aren't rings, they are spirals. The gravitational mechanics of Saturn's rings work similarly to galactic arms, only wound more tightly.
The density waves that are formed by "shepherd moons" aren't one-directional, either. In one of the pics attached, the gravitational wake of the moon Daphnis can be seen throwing up waves perpendicular to the plane of the rings.
📷 an artist's illustration of Mimas in orbit around Saturn. The small moon resembles Star Wars' Death Star, thanks to a massive crater. Credit: Frédéric Durillon/Animea Studio/Observatoire de Paris - PSL, IMCCE
Mimas’s surprise ocean prompts an update of the rule book for moons
The shifting orbit of one of Saturn’s moons indicates that the satellite has a subsurface ocean, contradicting theories that its interior is entirely solid.