Abstract
Equatorial scans of Saturn at 20 µm wavelength, obtained with the Mayall 4-m telescope in 1978–79, show a continuing decrease in the specific brightness of the A and B rings as the ring plane projection approaches an edge-on apparition. The decreased brightness of the previously dominant B ring reveals more clearly a large (∼30%) difference in brightness between the east and west ansa portions of the C ring, in contrast to a barely discernible difference for the other ring ansae. The amount of eclipse cooling is compatible with a C ring particle size of ∼1 cm. We propose here that the B ring brightness variation could partially result from a decrease of absorbed insolation by a modest amount of visible scattering.
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Nolt, I., Barrett, E., Caldwell, J. et al. IR brightness and eclipse cooling of Saturn's rings. Nature 283, 842–843 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1038/283842a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/283842a0
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