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APOD
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
Prometheus, Pandora and Saturn's F Ring
Explanation: The third and fourth innermost moons of Saturn were unexpectedly discovered to be gravitational “shepards.” The inner moon Prometheus and the outer moon Pandora use their gravitational attraction to define Saturn 's outermost ring. Were any of the smaller chunks of ice and rock that compose Saturn's F Ring to stray, the ring particle would be gravitationally pulled back into place by one of these passing moons. This complex interaction creates a ring structure with two narrow braids and several unusual knots.
| Date | December 23, 1995 |
|---|---|
| Credit | Credit: NASA, JPL, Voyager |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |