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Planetary Rings: Observational Constraints and Collision Dynamics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 August 2017

André Brahic and
Cécile Ferrari
André Brahic
Affiliation:
Université Paris VII and Observatoire de Paris
Cécile Ferrari
Affiliation:
Université Paris VII and Observatoire de Paris

Abstract

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Since fifteen years, space and ground-based observations have completely renewed our image of planetary rings. Simultaneously, a wealth of theoretical and numerical models have flourished. Collisions between ring's particles and gravitational perturbations of nearby satellites should explain most of the ring's structures. However, important questions are still unanswered. We do not understand why the rings are so dissimilar. We do not know the ring's origin and their stability over billions of years. Most of the ring's complex structures, the existence of arcs, and color and optical depth variations are not yet explained. Among all the ring mysteries, the uniform precession of narrow ringlets and the azimuthal brightness asymmetries should receive a high priority.

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