Abstract
APPROXIMATELY once every 15 yr, it is possible to observe Saturn's satellite lapetus passing through the shadow of the rings. Observations of such events are of great value to studies of the optical properties of the rings, as ground-based observations of reflected light are limited to a small range of phase angles near zero ( |ϕ|< 6°), and eclipses give transmission data at ϕ = 180°. During the current apparition, lapetus experiences two eclipses, the first having occurred on 19–20 October 1977, and the second 7–8 January 1978. The observed brightness of Tapetus during eclipse represents a spatial convolution of light from the limb-darkened disk of the Sun with the transmission of the rings and the non-uniform reflectivity over the disk of lapetus. We have examined this physical model through a computer simulation of the eclipse and use this to give here photometric confirmation of the Encke division in ring A.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Allen, C. W. in Astrophvsical Quantities, 169–171 (Athlone, London, 1973).
Elliot, J. L., Veverka, J. & Goguen, J. Icarus 26, 387–407 (1975).
Millis, R. L. Icarus 18, 247–252 (1973).
Reitsema, H. J., Beebe, R. F. & Smith, B. A. Astr. J. 81, 209–215 (1976).
Dollfus, A. Icarus 12, 101–107 (1970).
Reese, E. J. Icarus 15, 466–479 (1972).
Alexander, A. F. O'D. in The Planet Saturn, 165–166 (Macmillan, New York. 1962).
Saturn Ring Study Team The D Ring—Fact or Fiction JPL, 760–134. 5–12 (1975).
Fountain, J. W. & Larson, S. M. Science 197, 915–917 (1977).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
REITSEMA, H. Photometric confirmation of the Encke division in Saturn's ring A. Nature 272, 601–602 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1038/272601a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/272601a0
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.
