New Dust Belts of Uranus: One Ring, Two Ring, Red Ring, Blue Ring

Journal Article · Thu Feb 02 04:00:00 EST 2006 · Science

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1125110· OSTI ID:957162

de Pater, I; Hammel, H B; Gibbard, S G; Showalter, M R

We compare near-infrared observations of the recently discovered outer rings of Uranus with HST results. We find that the inner ring, R/2003 U 2, is red, whereas the outer ring, R/2003 U 1, is very blue. Blue is an unusual color for rings; Saturn's enigmatic E ring is the only other known example. By analogy to the E ring, R/2003 U 1 is probably produced via impacts into the embedded moon Mab, which apparently orbits at a location where non-gravitational perturbations favor the survival and spreading of sub-micron sized dust. R/2003 U 2 more closely resembles Saturn's G ring.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 957162
• Report Number(s): UCRL-JRNL-218647
• Journal Information: Science, Journal Name: Science Journal Issue: 5770 Vol. 312; ISSN 0193-4511; ISSN SCEHDK
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
COLOR
DUSTS
MOON
URANUS PLANET