Monday 30 December 2013

Saturn is probably the most beautiful planet in our Sun's lovely family

Saturn is the smaller of the two giant flat gas in the outer regions of our solar system , away from the light and warmth of our friendly star bright gold , the Sun. The larger of the two gas giants Jupiter , which is also the largest planet in our solar system . Some researchers believe that the two gas giants have not hidden under her huge and heavy shells of gas solid surfaces , even if others think they are likely to contain relatively small cores of rock - glacial material. The two other principal inhabitants of the outer limits of our solar family Uranus and Neptune, as ice - Giant are classified because they were not buried large veins ice under their heavy atmosphere on a massive scale , almost as heavy as are gaseous atmospheres, the two giants of waste gases .

Saturn is the most beautiful planet in our solar beautiful family , with its beautiful magical ring system , icy moons and a myriad of bright moons dancing and tumbling somersault inside and outside rings. One of Saturn's moons , Titan is the second largest moon in the Solar System, after Jupiter's Ganymede . Wrapped in a thick fog orange titanium is known for its frozen methane clouds and hydrocarbon seas and lakes . Titan 's thick atmosphere concealment very similar to those thought to have been present in the primordial Earth's atmosphere all wonderful chilled soup of compounds. Dense atmosphere of Titan - which is much denser than the Earth's atmosphere - mainly containing nitrogen , like that of our own planet. But Titan's atmosphere also contains significantly higher percentages of these so -called " chemical smog " , such as methane and ethane . Smog on Titan is extremely dense liquid that actually rains " gasoline as " the surface of this strange world. Indeed, some of the chemicals found in Titan's atmosphere , may suggest that life on the basis of simple and primitive methane ( methanogens ) living with this really strange moon.

Until 2004, no spacecraft visited Saturn in over two decades. Pioneer 11 was the first close-up of Saturn broken when it flew by in 1979 , Voyager 1 took his appointment over a year later, in August 1981 and Voyager 2 took his short but extremely productive meeting. Finally, on 1 July 2004 was Cassini NASA orbiting Saturn, and began to beautiful photos.

Saturn has 62 known moons . Most of them are very small, worldlets ice . 11 In June 2004, shortly before arrival at Saturn, the Cassini spacecraft flying only sound - at an altitude of 2,000 miles - beyond the very small icy moon Phoebe . Phoebe is a crater on the planet rotates around its rear worldlet - indicating that it has detected an object that was born somewhere else, and not an original member of the Saturn family.

The most natural satellites of Saturn and ice dancing very small moons. But the biggest icy moons , medium revolve around their giant planet with rings in a beautiful and mysterious dance. The largest of the icy moons Rhea , the second largest moon of Saturn by the strange world that is titanium. Iapetus , the third largest moon of Saturn, with two faces, with a side of bright shiny highly reflective ice is made ​​, and the other dark, non-reflective , a blackened spot color ice pristine white . Iapetus is larger than Mimas and Enceladus . There is a huge impact crater on the moon Mimas , which itself as an outstanding feature of what appears to be a bombed evil world is littered with craters . The large crater Herschel on the Moon 400 km was a drum room - fabric made ​​from rock , ice , or both, are very close to spray the entire small moon came excavated . Another icy moon Enceladus is an enchanting world , 500 km in diameter , which is thought to be an ocean in the global area under its port frozen crust . Where there is liquid water is always possible - but not the promise - of life. Enceladus has the highest albedo of any other moon in our solar system. This means it has the most glaring reflective light surface. It also has a very active geology, where it appeared almost devoid of craters, because they are constantly on emissions of spouting geysers , glacial officials of fresh snow , which keeps the surface of the small sparkling and smooth new moon.

Research 19 Submitted in October 2012 , took place at the annual meeting of the American Astronomical Society , the Ministry of Planetenwissenschaftenin Reno, Nevada, has proposed a causal relationship between the seven sister moons - Titan and icy moons six medium Saturn. The researchers suggest that the seven moons violent origin and was created when a few much larger moons crashed into each other to give rise to the misty, moisty moon Titan.

According to this theory , the system of Saturn began with a family of several relatively large moons , similar to the four Galilean moons of Jupiter - Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto . However, the strange and violent things happened in the Saturn system , which led its large moons on a collision course with destiny. According to the theory , there was a little dramatic moon mergers , the formation of titanium , which we know today - but it was also quite a number of moon - things still left to create collisions of cold medium-sized satellites - Mimas , Iapetus , Enceladus, Tethys, Dione , Rhea and !

"We believe that the giant planets have their satellites way the sun have their planet, grow like little solar systems and ending with a final confrontation " phase, the lead author , Dr. Erik Asphaug of the University of California at Santa Cruz , said in a statement to the press October 18, 2012 to .

He added , "In our model for the Saturn system , we propose that Titan grew in a couple of great impact of a combination of the mass of the colliding bodies , while putting a small family of medium-sized moons . "

Such mergers and moon collisions training are not uncommon . For example, the main theory explains the origin of the large moon of the Earth , says he was born before there are about 4.5 billion years ago, when a proto- planet called Theia size of Mars by astronomers , is collided with our planet. Just as our moon is geologically identical coat, the younger sister of six Saturn's icy moons are all similar in composition titanium coat of ice, researchers announced in October 2012 .

"Our model explains the diversity of these lenses - . Moons and submit proof of their very active and dynamic geology It also explains a disturbing fact that a giant impact on Titan would give a large eccentricity " Asphaug continued to explain to the press October 18, 2012 .

Jupiter Saturn is surrounded by more than 60 known moons . Many of them are tiny moons, measuring only a few miles across , and are probably asteroids or minor planets captured - or shattered remains .

Asphaug and co- author Dr Andreas Reufer the University of Bern in Switzerland, have developed new sophisticated computer simulations Riesenwirkungsmodellmit . They found that mergers between the moons of Jupiter-sized Galilean moons - size 1,940 miles ( Europe) 3 range of 271 miles above ( Ganymede ) - would break things aside from the outer layers of moons collide. This frozen material then spiral arms that would merge to create means by Saturn's icy moons gravity.

Moon - mergers may occur here very long - or perhaps recently . Mergers have triggered gravitational perturbations caused by the migration of the giant planets like Uranus or Neptune , the researchers told the press in October 2012 .

" What makes the Saturn system , so beautiful and unique could his youth. While we have not played a period of preferred scenario of origin time , it may happen recently , when something is to destabilize the system Saturn , triggering the collision mergers formed the Titan , "said Asphaug .

The researchers then explained that his scenario is the strength , the forecast for the tortured , large hazy moon Titan are formed , the icy moons averages are made ​​, and how she began to turn quickly piece of material ice loaded. Of valuable information planetary scientist, what happens in this mysterious outer region of our solar system reveal small moons could provide - and when it happened .

Seven moons orbiting Saturn sister as she twirls in the field of giant planets so far from the light and heat of the Sun. Families have the secret of his mysterious origins very well maintained - but they begin to reveal their hidden past .

I am a writer and astronomer , whose articles have been published in various magazines , newspapers and magazines since 1981. Although I wrote about a variety of subjects , I especially like writing about astronomy because it gives me the opportunity to communicate with others the many wonders of my domain. My first book, " wisps , ashes and smoke , " will be published shortly .

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