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Planetary science

The birth of Saturn's baby moons

Simulations show that Saturn's nearby moons, after forming on the outskirts of the planet's main rings, get pushed clear of them. This model reproduces the moons' orbital locations and remarkably low densities.

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Figure 1: Saturn's moonlets.

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Burns, J. The birth of Saturn's baby moons. Nature 465, 701–702 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/465701b

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