Peculiar Rainbows in Saturn’s E Ring: Unraveling Luminous Stripes Near Enceladus
Scientists analyzing Cassini data discovered mysterious luminous stripes in Saturn’s E ring near Enceladus, resembling a natural diffraction pattern. These stripes, seen in multiple flybys, suggest an organized ice structure acting as a reflection grating. The bright band, made of crystalline ice with traces of CO₂, likely consists of fresh plume material. This finding hints at unexpected patterns in Saturn’s rings, potentially influenced by Enceladus’ plumes and magnetic interactions.
Unveiling Exoplanet Surfaces: Lessons from Jupiter and Enceladus’ Opposition Effect
The study investigates the opposition effect—a brightening seen when planets and moons are directly opposite the Sun—on Jupiter and Enceladus using Cassini data. The results show that Jupiter's peak is broader due to coherent backscattering (CB), while Enceladus exhibits both CB and shadow hiding (SH). This suggests that opposition peak width could indicate whether an exoplanet has a solid or gaseous surface, but current telescopes lack the precision to detect this effect on distant planets.