[cloud (OP)]

Did anyone see saturn on new years? The place I live in was too cloudy and I couldn't see any bright objects in the sky.

[tweener]

The place I live right now is too light. []

I think it was cloudy here also.


----
John

[chris]

This really ought to be in the space section and I suspect it will be moved shortly, but to continue the thread about saturn, can anyone tell me a bit more about the rings ?

In particular, how did they form, how are they sustained, and what is their composition ?

Best wishes

chris

"I never forget a face, but in your case I'll make an exception"
 - Groucho Marx

[tweener]

The last I heard is that no really can explain how the rings sustain themselves.  They are composed of very small particles of ice and dust that are abundant in the planets and comets, so the material was "just there".  The question about formation and how they are sustained is harder, and is not readily addressed by the classical theory of gravity (Newtonian gravitation).  By standard theories they should have coalesced into a moon or fallen into the primary.  Here is a link with more info:

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=0009F49D-2424-1CDF-B4A8809EC588EEDF&pageNumber=2&catID=4


----
John