{"id":492,"date":"2017-09-05T11:45:00","date_gmt":"2017-09-05T15:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/a7000y2018\/chapter\/12-6-summary-further-exploration-websites\/"},"modified":"2018-06-02T12:39:18","modified_gmt":"2018-06-02T16:39:18","slug":"12-6-summary-further-exploration-websites","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/a7000y2018\/chapter\/12-6-summary-further-exploration-websites\/","title":{"raw":"12.6 Summary, Further Exploration, Websites","rendered":"12.6 Summary, Further Exploration, Websites"},"content":{"raw":"

Key Concepts and Summary<\/h1>

Rings are composed of vast numbers of individual particles orbiting so close to a planet that its gravitational forces could have broken larger pieces apart or kept small pieces from gathering together. Saturn\u2019s rings are broad, flat, and nearly continuous, except for a handful of gaps. The particles are mostly water ice, with typical dimensions of a few centimeters. One Saturn moon, Enceladus, is today erupting geysers of water to maintain the tenuous E Ring, which is composed of very small ice crystals. The rings of Uranus are narrow ribbons separated by wide gaps and contain much less mass. Neptune\u2019s rings are similar but contain even less material. Much of the complex structure of the rings is due to waves and resonances induced by moons within the rings or orbiting outside them. The origin and age of each of these ring systems is still a mystery.\n\n<\/section>

For Further Exploration<\/h1>

Articles<\/h2>

Moons<\/em><\/h3>

Carroll, M. \u201cTitan: What We\u2019ve Learned about a Strange New World.\u201d Astronomy<\/em> (March 2010): 30. Nice review of Cassini mission results.\n\n

Elliot, J. \u201cThe Warming Wisps of Triton.\u201d Sky & Telescope<\/em> (February 1999): 42. About Neptune\u2019s intriguing moon.\n\n

Hayes, A., \u201cSecrets from Titan\u2019s Seas.\u201d Astronomy<\/em> (October 2015): 24. Good review of what we now know and what puzzles us about the hydrocarbon lakes of Titan.\n\n

Jewitt, D., et al. \u201cThe Strangest Satellites in the Solar System.\u201d Scientific American<\/em> (August 2006): 40. Small irregular moons in the outer solar system.\n\n

Lakdawalla, E. \u201cIce Worlds of the Ringed Planet.\u201d Sky & Telescope<\/em> (June 2009): 27. On the Cassini mission exploration of Enceladus, Iapetus, and other moons.\n\n

Mackenzie, D. \u201cIs There Life under the Ice?\u201d Astronomy<\/em> (August 2001): 32. On future exploration of Europa.\n\n

Robertson, D. \u201cWhere Goes the Rain?\u201d Sky & Telescope<\/em> (March 2013): 26. About the methane weather cycle on Titan and what Cassini experiments are telling us.\n\n

Scharf, C. \u201cA Universe of Dark Oceans.\u201d Sky & Telescope<\/em> (December 2014): 20. Subsurface oceans on Europa, Ganymede, Enceladus, and Titan.\n\n

Showalter, M. \u201cHow to Catch a Moon (or Two) of Pluto.\u201d Astronomy Beat<\/em> (December 2012): http:\/\/www.astrosociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/ab2012-106.pdf. On the discovery of small moons around Pluto, written by the person who discovered two of them.\n\n

Spencer, J. \u201cGalileo\u2019s Closest Look at Io.\u201d Sky & Telescope<\/em> (May 2001): 40.\n\n

Talcott, R. \u201cCassini Flies through Enceladus\u2019 Geysers.\u201d Astronomy<\/em> (March 2009): 32.\n\n

Zimmerman, R. \u201cDoes Methane Flow on Titan?\u201d Astronomy<\/em> (February 2014): 22. Ideas about lakes, channels, and rain.\n\n<\/section>

Pluto<\/em><\/h3>

Stern, A. \u201cPluto: Up Close and Personal.\u201d Astronomy<\/em> (July 2015): 22. Good summary of the history of understanding Pluto and our current knowledge on the eve of the New Horizons encounter.\n\n

Stern, A. \u201cThe Pluto System Explored.\u201d Astronomy<\/em> (November 2015): 24. Fine review of what the team learned from the first few data downloads from New Horizons.\n\n

Tombaugh, C. \u201cHow I Found Pluto\u201d Astronomy Beat<\/em> (May 2009): http:\/\/astrosociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/ab2009-23.pdf.\n\n<\/section>

Rings<\/em><\/h3>

Beatty, J. \u201cSaturn\u2019s Amazing Rings.\u201d Sky & Telescope<\/em> (May 2013): 18. Good 7-page summary of what we know.\n\n

Burns, J., et al. \u201cBejeweled Worlds.\u201d Scientific American<\/em> (February 2002): 64. On rings throughout the solar system.\n\n

Elliot, J., et al. \u201cDiscovering the Rings of Uranus.\u201d Sky & Telescope<\/em> (June 1977): 412.\n\n

Esposito, L. \u201cThe Changing Shape of Planetary Rings.\u201d Astronomy<\/em> (September 1987): 6.\n\n

Sobel, D. \u201cSecrets of the Rings.\u201d Discover<\/em> (April 1994): 86. Discusses the outer planet ring systems.\n\n

Tiscareno, M. \u201cRingworld Revelations.\u201d Sky & Telescope<\/em> (February 2007): 32. Cassini results about the rings of Saturn.\n\n<\/section><\/section>

Websites<\/h2>

Note: Many of the sites about planets and planetary missions listed for Other Worlds: An Introduction to the Solar System<\/a> and The Giant Planets<\/a> also include good information about the moons of the planets.<\/em>\n\n

Cassini Mission to Saturn: http:\/\/saturn.jpl.nasa.gov\/ and http:\/\/www.esa.int\/SPECIALS\/Cassini-Huygens\/index.html and http:\/\/ciclops.org\n\nJupiter\u2019s Moons, at JPL: http:\/\/solarsystem.nasa.gov\/planets\/jupiter\/moons\n\n

Neptune\u2019s Moons, at JPL: http:\/\/solarsystem.nasa.gov\/planets\/neptune\/moons\n\n

New Horizons Mission: http:\/\/pluto.jhuapl.edu. Gives the latest news bulletins and images from the Pluto encounter, plus lots of background information.\n\n

Pluto, at JPL: http:\/\/solarsystem.nasa.gov\/planets\/pluto\n\n

Saturn\u2019s Moons, at JPL: http:\/\/solarsystem.nasa.gov\/planets\/saturn\/moons\n\n

Uranus\u2019 Moons, at JPL: http:\/\/solarsystem.nasa.gov\/planets\/uranus\/moons\n\n<\/section>

Apps<\/h2>Two apps you can buy for iPhones or iPads can show you the positions and features of the moons of Jupiter and Saturn for any selected date:\n\n