Astronomers using Keck Observatory discover rain falling from Saturn's rings
Wednesday, April 10, 2013 - 10:01
in Astronomy & Space
(Phys.org) —NASA funded observations on the W. M. Keck Observatory with analysis led by the University of Leicester, England tracked the "rain" of charged water particles into the atmosphere of Saturn and found the extent of the ring-rain is far greater, and falls across larger areas of the planet, than previously thought. The work reveals the rain influences the composition and temperature structure of parts of Saturn's upper atmosphere. The paper appears in this week's issue of the journal Nature.