Astronomers (re)discover never-before-seen phenomenon on Saturn

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Astronomers (re)discover never-before-seen phenomenon on Saturn

The infall of icy debris from Saturn's rings is heating the planet's upper atmosphere, according to astronomers, who discovered the phenomenon among old data that was once considered noise.

Saturn is distinctive in our Solar System with its large, complex ring system, composed of chunks of ice and rock that have been captured by the planet's gravitational field. The rings orbit the planet at different speeds, and aren't as stable as they appear. Fragments of debris from the rings rain down on Saturn's atmosphere, heating it up in the process.

Astronomers observed the phenomenon by analyzing UV radiation emitted from hydrogen atoms. Data collected from the Hubble Space Telescope was compared with archival data taken from four historical spacecraft – the Cassini probe, Voyagers 1 and 2, and the long-retired International Ultraviolet Explorer – and revealed telltale signs of excess Lyman-alpha radiation, a form of UV light produced by excited hydrogen atoms.

More: https://www.theregister.com/2023/03/31/astronomers_discover_neverbeforeseen_phenomena_on/