2012 Edition -- Target 2: F Ring, Grade 7 and 8 Winner
2012 Edition -- Target 2: F Ring, Grade 7 and 8 Winner
| ||||
| Mary Joyce | ||||
| King Middle School | ||||
| 8th Grade Harrodsburg, Ky Teacher: Tiffany Penn | ||||
|
"Saturn's F-ring, one of the great beauties of the universe with a distance of 140,224 km (87,131 miles) and a width of 30-500 km (19-311 miles), it is by far the most interesting of Saturn's 7 rings. The F-ring was discovered by NASA's Pioneer II space craft in 1979 and has since captivated scientists and astronomers alike. Many are still on a mission to discover the rings' mysterious origin, evolution, structure, and composition. For decades, the F-ring has captured NASA's attention as well as recently capturing mine. It is my opinion that the Cassini spacecraft, currently orbiting Saturn, should turn its focus on recording images of the F-ring quickly as possible. This is not just your average ring we are discussing here. The F-ring is extremely unique. It is often altering its appearance within a matter of several hours. This fluctuation is due to the obscure gravitational forces acting on it. The ring sits at a balancing point between the massive force of Saturn, trying to break things apart and self-gravity, pulling objects together. The bodies of Prometheus and Pandora act as shepherd moons to the F-ring. Prometheus actually affects the ring in a large way. Nearly every 68 days, the moon's gravity disturbs a specific segment, causing minor fluctuations in current such as channels, ripples, and eddies. Occasionally, these disruptions in the F-ring will create literal snowballs up to a kilometer wide. These snowballs often collide with other ring material at an average of 5mph, pushing objects out of orbit – forming trails called "mini-jets". Due to this, the F-ring never looks the same at one moment. Besides these effects, the F-ring remains an astronomical mystery, as do the other 7 rings. Scientists still have no idea as to when or how they were formed, but learning more about the particle composition may lead to some clues. Taking pictures of the F-ring and other rings could help clarify their origins. Studying this ring could possibly bring us to learn about more than one might think. Prometheus's gravity-caused disturbances and its orbit around Saturn can assist us in further understanding how planetary bodies interact with one another in space. According to scientist, Linda Spilker, study of the F-ring could also help us understand the activity that occurs when solar systems evolve out of dusty disks similar to, but obviously much grander than the disk we see around Saturn. In short, the disturbances and alterations in the ring can help us discover how our solar system was formed. Imagine if we could know how it was made: the sun, the planets, and the stars, all of it. All this and more, we could learn from the F-ring. It is by far the most interesting ring, much more exciting than Saturn's surface or one of its moons. While the F-ring remains a mystery, learning from is has much to offer. I believe that, for these reasons, the Cassini spacecraft should capture photographs of Saturn's F-ring on its up-and-coming orbit." |
