First of all, I apologize for the delayed post; I came back late yesterday and didn't have much time, and spent the rest of the day messing around with imgur and writing this: Enjoy!
Uranus's rings, unlike the inner gas giants, are very thin and dim. The ε ring, the brightest of the rings, is only a fraction of Saturns' rings brightness. Despite these obvious differences, we'll list the rings as regular from closest to Uranus to furthest.
The ζ & 1986U2R rings
The rings begin pretty much as soon as Uranus ends. The ζcc ring, the closest of the rings, is one of a couple of extensions of the ζ (Zeta) ring orbiting, in full, between 26,840 and 41,350 kilometers from the center of Uranus (~1,300-15,800 km from the surface.) Aside from being the closest, however, it isn't exactly the brightest. The ring is around 100 times fainter than the brightest ring in the system usually, but is very bright if looked at the right way (no, not like those 3D paintings). Since nearby 1986U2R's discovery in 1986, though, the ring has moved in slightly. These rings are fairly dynamic, unlike Saturn's, changing over the course of mere months or years.
 |
| An image of the 1986U2R ring showing its irregular ring arcs and ever- changing shape. Credit: NASA |
Slightly further out from the ζ ring, we find a system of bright, narrow rings elevated slightly from Uranus's equatorial plane. These rings were designated the 6, 5, and 4 rings radiating out from the surface for lack of an appropriate Greek symbol. These rings, unlike the ζ ring, don't have much dust in them.
The α & β rings
These rings are the first of the Greek-lettered rings, but unfortunately not the last. These rings are the 2nd and 3rd brightest after the ε ring, but for some reason don't have any dust in them. They are each about half the mass of the brighter ε ring.
More Greek alphabetics: the η ring, ηc ring, and γ ring
The next few rings on our journey are all narrow and a bit dim, but that doesn't make them any less fun. The η ring is pretty dense, but the ηc ring is more broad and dim. The γ ring is much more eccentric than the other rings, and slightly wider than the η ring.
Done yet? the δc and δ rings, and why not add in the λ and ε, too?
These rings, comprising the outer parts of Uranus's thin section of the ring system, also mark the beginning of the moons. Circling just inside the λ ring is Cordelia, only about 40 km across. Despite its small size, it's still large enough to pack a bit of a punch on the ring, acting as its inner Shepard moon. Furthest out and brightest is the ε ring, also one of the largest in the system. The outer Shepard moon for this ring is Ophelia, larger than Cordelia by only 3 kilometers.
The ν ring
Not last, or least, comes the ν ring. This ring, much dimmer than the other rings, is one of two outer very dusty rings. The ring, discovered in 2003-5, is clearly bordered by the moons Portia and Rosalind (inside and outside respectively.) The ring is much larger and broader than all of the other rings closer to Uranus than it, and doesn't appear to be changing much.
Last, and least, the μ ring
The furthest of Uranus's rings, the μ ring, orbits the planet at more than twice the distance of the ε ring, and also has a few guides of its own: Puck, the largest of the inner moons, orbits on the inner part of the ring, and slightly smaller Mab orbits the ring near the center, where it's brightest. This ring, in unlike the red ν ring, is blue in color, probably made of water ice from minor collisions and/or geysers on Mab, and then slowly traveling inwards until it is picked up by Puck's gravity.
Well, that's it. Hope you enjoyed!
P.S. I made a diagram of the rings:
 |
| A diagram of Uranus's rings. Credit: Me |
 |
| The inner rings of Uranus Credit: Me |
 |
| The bright, central rings of Uranus. Credit: Me |
 |
| Uranus's v ring and the numerous moons around it. Credit: Me |
 |
| The μ ring in all its boring glory. Credit: Me |
No comments:
Post a Comment