Science Memes

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Science isn't a filing cabinet of facts, it's a conversation. For example, a photo of an eel or other localized wildlife counts because most people never see one, and wonder is the first step of inquiry. A car meme counts if it makes you curious about what's under the bonnet. If you want to talk about something you noticed in the world, chances are someone else wants to talk about it too.

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A Ripple in Space (mander.xyz)

submitted 1 day ago by fossilesque@mander.xyz to c/science_memes@mander.xyz

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[–] yakko@feddit.uk 113 points 1 day ago (4 children)

Selections from Wikipedia, for others who may find it interesting:

Daphnis's eccentricity causes its distance from Saturn to vary by ~9 km (5.6 mi), and its inclination causes it to move up and down by ~17 km (11 mi).

As it orbits, it creates gravitational ripples on the edges of the Keeler gap as ring particles are attracted toward the moon and then fall back down toward the ring. The waves made by the moon in the inner edge of the gap precede it in orbit, while those on the outer edge lag behind it, due to the differences in relative orbital speed. In a photograph taken on January 18, 2017, a tendril of ring particles can be seen to extend toward the moon; according to JPL, "this may have resulted from a moment when Daphnis drew a packet of material out of the ring, and now that packet is spreading itself out."

Also, it little resembles any moon I have seen. It is more akin to a fat grain of rice.

[–] AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world 3 points 9 hours ago

Well it's tiny! 9.8 × 8.4 × 5.6 km. It doesn't have enough mass to be spherical. I wouldn't be surprised at all if most of the moons of Saturn and Jupiter are weirdly shaped.

Just take a look at the moons of Mars, they are both just big rocks.

[–] Grandwolf319@sh.itjust.works 14 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Wait does this mean just from gravity, the little moon is eating the rings over time and growing?

Neat!

[–] yakko@feddit.uk 26 points 1 day ago

The rings are, in cosmic terms, exceedingly temporary. We're lucky to have lived at the same time as them.

[–] Smoogs@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago

the moon: nom nom

[–] untorquer@quokk.au 5 points 1 day ago

So gravity plus gyroscopic precession (or pedantically named related effect)