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Planetary science

Saturn's bared mini-moons

Propeller-shaped structures seem to reveal the presence of moonlets, about 100 metres in diameter, embedded in Saturn's rings. This discovery adds to our picture of how the rings formed and are evolving.

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Figure 1: Moonlet and propeller.
Figure 2: Saturn's rings.

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Spahn, F., Schmidt, J. Saturn's bared mini-moons. Nature 440, 614–615 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/440614a

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