Aug 5 2004
From The Space Library
Data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft revealed a new radiation belt around Saturn. Researchers already knew that Saturn had radiation belts ~ ring-shaped concentrations of ionized particles ~ outside the orbit of the planet's rings. However, the newly discovered rings were inside Saturn's rings. Previously, scientists had thought that a radiation belt could not exist inside the planet's rings, because they believed that the rings would absorb any ionized particles that approached Saturn. The presence of radiation within the orbit of the rings indicated that the radiation belt's particles are able to move through Saturn's rings. (John Noble Wilford, “Spacecraft Finds Belt Around Saturn Unlike Any Ever Seen Before,” New York Times, 6 August 2004.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
