![]() ![]() And just like Pan and Daphnis, the ridge is accreted material that Atlas has accumulated as it tended to the A ring. This flying saucer-looking moon is characterized by an equatorial ridge that was also observed in other shepherding moons. The two thin rings are in the Roche Division or the area between the prominent A ring and the narrow F ring.Īt first look, the moon Atlas looks like an alien spaceship floating in space. It was temporarily designated R/2004 S 2. A similar feature was also discovered around the region, between the orbits of Atlas and Prometheus. It formed a thin ring that was given the provisional designation R/2004 S 1. In 2004, the Cassini probe discovered a certain part in the orbit of Atlas with an increased concentration of dust. Its orbit is believed to be chaotic just like Prometheus and Pandora that perturb it. Atlas is in a synchronous rotation with Saturn as it takes the same time for this moon to rotate on its axis and to orbit the planet. It has a slightly eccentric orbit with an inclination of roughly 0.003°. With an orbital period of 0.06 days, it takes this moon 14.4 Earth hours to complete one journey around the planet. Its estimated temperature is around 81 K, hotter than the other shepherd moons.Ītlas orbits around 137,000 km from its parent planet, Saturn. With a diameter of 30 km, Atlas is smaller than Earth by about 421.9 times but nearly four times bigger than the moon Daphnis. Even though they lie farther from the A ring, it is their orbital resonance that keeps the ring’s shape in check and not the gravitational influence of Atlas. The satellites Janus and Epimetheus are larger than Atlas. It was discovered that the edge of the A ring is actually maintained by the co-orbital moons Janus and Epimetheus. It was later found out that the moon’s responsibility was not that big after all. The same was also thought of with the namesake moon. In Greek mythology, Atlas was given the obligation to hold up the weight of the sky forever on his shoulders. Surely, someone with an equally important task! Keeping the outer A ring sharp is a great responsibility, so this moon was named after the Titan Atlas. It acts as a ring shepherd, or so it was thought. It has a red spectrum but not as red as the moon Pan.Ītlas orbits close to the outer bounds of the A ring and helps maintain its outer edge. The smooth edge of this moon stands in contrast with its rough and somewhat spherical core. It has an irregular shape which many likened to that of a flying saucer. Scientist Richard Terrile discovered this satellite in October 1980 from Voyager 1 images.Ītlas is one of the inner satellites of Saturn. It is also known by the designation Saturn XV. Rotation – Synchronous (tidally locked)Ītlas is a small moon of the gaseous planet Saturn.Escape velocity – Approximately 0.0062 km/s.Average Orbit Distance – 137, 670☑0 km.Discoverer – Richard Terrile, Voyager 1.Behind the name – Ātlās (the Titan carrying the heaven on his back).Examples are Metis of Jupiter, Cordelia and Ophelia of Uranus, and Galatea of Neptune.Ītlas Moon: Facts and Figures All About the Name The other giant planets in the solar system, Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune, keep their rings sharp with the help of their inner moons as well. Ring shepherds are not only found in the system of Saturn. Though they are not as close to the rings as the others, the co-orbital moons Janus and Epimetheus also function as herder moons. The other two shepherds, Prometheus and Pandora, maintain the F ring. Pan and Daphnis are within the Encke gap and the Keeler Gap respectively while Atlas lies close to the edge of the A ring. Saturn has three moons shepherding the A ring. These moons are also called herder moons and watcher moons. In a way, shepherd moons “herd” the ring materials of Saturn. That sort of “kick” sculpts the edge of Saturn’s rings or keeps the ring gaps open. Those materials are deflected by the gravitational influence of the moons, keeping them in place. A shepherd moon comes to the rescue when that happens.Īs shepherd satellites orbit their parent planet, they come across loose ring materials along the way. Because of the movement, particles can go off track and diverge from the ring. Saturn’s rings move and orbit around it at different speeds. Remember that planetary rings are made up of dust, ice, and all kinds of debris suspended in space. Ring shepherd moons help keep the shape of a planet’s ring.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |