Young or Old? New Insights into the Inner Saturn system
Young or Old? New Insights into the Inner Saturn system
Session ID#: 283224
Session Description:
The inner Saturnian moons and rings comprise a complex and dynamically coupled system that has no counterpart at Jupiter but that shares some features with the ring and moon system seen at Uranus. A fundamental and longstanding question is whether Saturn’s rings and inner moons are a primordial byproduct of the planet’s formation, or are instead due to much later and perhaps even very recent events. Various data from the Cassini mission provide compelling evidence for the youth of Saturn’s rings and an unexpectedly rapid orbital evolution of its moons. However, debate continues as to whether the inner system is young or old, or perhaps reflects both ancient and recent events. We solicit contributions related to the origin and/or evolution of Saturn’s rings and inner moons that address such issues and related implications for the evolution of Saturn and the Saturn system overall.
Index Terms:
5749 Origin and evolution [PLANETARY SCIENCES: FLUID PLANETS]
6265 Planetary rings [PLANETARY SCIENCES: SOLAR SYSTEM OBJECTS]
6275 Saturn [PLANETARY SCIENCES: SOLAR SYSTEM OBJECTS]
6280 Saturnian satellites [PLANETARY SCIENCES: SOLAR SYSTEM OBJECTS]
Primary Convener: Robin M Canup, Southwest Research Institute Boulder, Boulder, CO, United States
Convener: Matthew M Hedman, University of Idaho, Moscow, United States
See more of: Planetary Sciences