Microwave brightness of Saturn's rings

It is shown that a lower limit exists on the microwave brightness of the rings of Saturn, if they are assumed to be composed of Mie scatterers of geological composition. The lower limit (about 15°K) is due to scattering of planetary microwave emission. Significant variation of brightness with azimut...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Veröffentlicht in:Icarus (New York, N.Y. 1962) N.Y. 1962), 1974-06, Vol.22 (2), p.149-158
Hauptverfasser: Cuzzi, Jeffrey N., Van Blerkom, David
Format: Artikel
Sprache:eng
Online-Zugang:Volltext
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:It is shown that a lower limit exists on the microwave brightness of the rings of Saturn, if they are assumed to be composed of Mie scatterers of geological composition. The lower limit (about 15°K) is due to scattering of planetary microwave emission. Significant variation of brightness with azimuth along the rings is expected if the particles are typically of 2–3cm radius. Implications for the multiple-scattering hypothesis of the radar cross section of the rings are noted.
ISSN:0019-1035
1090-2643
DOI:10.1016/0019-1035(74)90114-6