Peculiar rainbows in Saturn's E ring
Uncovering luminous bands near Enceladus
Niels Rubbrecht (Student TU Delft)
Stéphanie Cazaux (TU Delft - Planetary Exploration)
Benoît Seignovert (Université de Nantes)
M.A. Kenworthy (Universiteit Leiden, TU Delft - Astrodynamics & Space Missions)
Nicholas Kutsop (Cornell University)
Stéphane Le Mouélic (Université de Nantes)
Jerome Loic (TU Delft - Spaceborne Instrumentation)
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Abstract
We report observations of stripe-like features in Enceladus’ plumes captured simultaneously by Cassini's VIMS-IR and ISS NAC instruments during flyby E17, with similar patterns seen in VIMS-IR data from flyby E13 and E19. These parallel stripes, inclined at approximately 16°to the ecliptic and 43°to Saturn's ring plane, appear continuous across images when projected in the J2000 frame. A bright stripe, most visible at wavelengths around 5μm, acts as the zeroth-order diffraction peak of a reflection grating with an estimated groove spacing of 0.12–2.60 mm, while adjacent stripes are attributed to higher-order diffraction peaks. We suggest that this light-dispersing phenomenon originates from an inclined periodic structure within Saturn's E ring. This structure, constrained between Saturn's G ring and Rhea's orbit, likely consists of fresh ice particles supplied by Enceladus’ plumes.
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