scholarly journals The rings and small moons of Uranus and Neptune

Author(s):  
Mark R. Showalter

All four giant planets are encircled by distinctive systems of rings and small, inner satellites. These all reside within or near their central planet's Roche limit, the rough boundary within which bodies held together by self-gravity will be disrupted by tidal forces. However, the similarities of the four ring-moon systems end here; in most other regards, they are remarkably diverse. We study these systems for three key reasons: (1) for the information they reveal about the properties, history and ongoing evolution of the planetary systems of which they are a part; (2) as dynamical analogues for other astrophysical systems such as protoplanetary disks; and (3) for the wealth of fascinating properties and origin scenarios that make them worthy of study in their own right. The inner Uranus system is characterized by 10 narrow rings, some quite dense, as well as a variety of more tenuous structures. These are accompanied by 13 known moons all orbiting interior to Miranda. Nine of these, Bianca through Perdita, comprise the most densely packed set of moons in the solar system, with orbits so close that their interactions appear to drive chaos over time scales approximately 10 6 years. Neptune has five named rings, all optically thin, interleaved with seven inner moons. The most notable feature is a set of arcs embedded within the Adams ring; two of these arcs have been stable for time scales of decades. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Future exploration of ice giant systems’.

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 245
Author(s):  
Khilyatul Khoiriyah

This research is the literature studies that provide an introduction to the theory of the formation and early evolution of solar system and planetary systems. Theories that discussed are limit on the theory which has been closed to the truth of observation result. Topics include the structure of solar system, star formation, the structure of evolution and dispersal of protoplanetary disks, planetesimals formation, terrestrial and giant planets formation, the formation of the smaller objects in the solar system and planet migration.Penelitian ini merupakan studi literatur yang membahas tentang masalah pembentukan dan evolusi awal tata surya dan sistem keplanetan dengan memberikan konsep dasar yang ringkas. Teori-teori yang dikaji secara khusus dibatasi pada teori yang telah mendekati kebenaran dari hasil pengamatan. Topik yang dibahas adalah struktur tata surya, pembentukan bintang, struktur evolusi dan pembubaran cakram protoplanet, pembentukan planetesimal, planet terestrial dan planet raksasa, pembentukan benda-benda kecil dalam tata surya dan migrasi planet.


2020 ◽  
Vol 495 (1) ◽  
pp. 1227-1238
Author(s):  
Andrea Sacchi ◽  
Giuseppe Lodato ◽  
Claudia Toci ◽  
Valentina Motta

ABSTRACT A tidal disruption event (TDE) occurs when a star passes too close to a supermassive black hole and gets torn apart by its gravitational tidal field. After the disruption, the stellar debris form an expanding gaseous stream. The morphology and evolution of this stream are particularly interesting as it ultimately determines the observational properties of the event itself. In this work, we perform 3D hydrodynamical simulations of the TDE of a star modelled as a polytropic sphere of index γ = 5/3 and study the gravitational stability of the resulting gas stream. We provide an analytical solution for the evolution of the stream in the bound, unbound, and marginally bound cases, which allows us to describe the stream properties and analyse the time-scales of the physical processes involved, applying a formalism developed in star formation context. Our results are that, when fragmentation occurs, it is fuelled by the failure of pressure in supporting the gas against its self-gravity. We also show that a stability criterion that includes also the stream gas pressure proves to be far more accurate than one that only considers the black hole tidal forces, giving analytical predictions of the time evolution of the various forces associated with the stream. Our results point out that fragmentation occurs on time-scales longer compared with the observational windows of these events and is thus not expected to give rise to significant observational features.


Author(s):  
Karel Schrijver

How many planetary systems formed before our’s did, and how many will form after? How old is the average exoplanet in the Galaxy? When did the earliest planets start forming? How different are the ages of terrestrial and giant planets? And, ultimately, what will the fate be of our Solar System, of the Milky Way Galaxy, and of the Universe around us? We cannot know the fate of individual exoplanets with great certainty, but based on population statistics this chapter sketches the past, present, and future of exoworlds and of our Earth in general terms.


2003 ◽  
Vol 211 ◽  
pp. 455-456 ◽  
Author(s):  
José A. Caballero ◽  
Víctor J. S. Béjar ◽  
Rafael Rebolo

We have obtained series of images in the near infrared J and Ks bands for seven L-type dwarfs with a duration of 3 to 6 hours. We present results on: 1) the amplitude of variability associated with atmospheric changes over time scales from minutes to several hours; 2) the search for cool companions in wide orbits; 3) the search for transits of brown dwarfs and planetary companions in very close orbits.


Author(s):  
O. Mousis ◽  
D. H. Atkinson ◽  
R. Ambrosi ◽  
S. Atreya ◽  
D. Banfield ◽  
...  

AbstractRemote sensing observations suffer significant limitations when used to study the bulk atmospheric composition of the giant planets of our Solar System. This impacts our knowledge of the formation of these planets and the physics of their atmospheres. A remarkable example of the superiority of in situ probe measurements was illustrated by the exploration of Jupiter, where key measurements such as the determination of the noble gases’ abundances and the precise measurement of the helium mixing ratio were only made available through in situ measurements by the Galileo probe. Here we describe the main scientific goals to be addressed by the future in situ exploration of Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, placing the Galileo probe exploration of Jupiter in a broader context. An atmospheric entry probe targeting the 10-bar level would yield insight into two broad themes: i) the formation history of the giant planets and that of the Solar System, and ii) the processes at play in planetary atmospheres. The probe would descend under parachute to measure composition, structure, and dynamics, with data returned to Earth using a Carrier Relay Spacecraft as a relay station. An atmospheric probe could represent a significant ESA contribution to a future NASA New Frontiers or flagship mission to be launched toward Saturn, Uranus, and/or Neptune.


2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (S310) ◽  
pp. 194-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean N. Raymond ◽  
Alessandro Morbidelli

AbstractThe “Grand Tack” model proposes that the inner Solar System was sculpted by the giant planets' orbital migration in the gaseous protoplanetary disk. Jupiter first migrated inward then Jupiter and Saturn migrated back outward together. If Jupiter's turnaround or “tack” point was at ~ 1.5 AU the inner disk of terrestrial building blocks would have been truncated at ~ 1 AU, naturally producing the terrestrial planets' masses and spacing. During the gas giants' migration the asteroid belt is severely depleted but repopulated by distinct planetesimal reservoirs that can be associated with the present-day S and C types. The giant planets' orbits are consistent with the later evolution of the outer Solar System.Here we confront common criticisms of the Grand Tack model. We show that some uncertainties remain regarding the Tack mechanism itself; the most critical unknown is the timing and rate of gas accretion onto Saturn and Jupiter. Current isotopic and compositional measurements of Solar System bodies – including the D/H ratios of Saturn's satellites – do not refute the model. We discuss how alternate models for the formation of the terrestrial planets each suffer from an internal inconsistency and/or place a strong and very specific requirement on the properties of the protoplanetary disk.We conclude that the Grand Tack model remains viable and consistent with our current understanding of planet formation. Nonetheless, we encourage additional tests of the Grand Tack as well as the construction of alternate models.


2010 ◽  
Vol 523 ◽  
pp. A69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zs. Regály ◽  
Zs. Sándor ◽  
C. P. Dullemond ◽  
R. van Boekel

2014 ◽  
Vol 104 ◽  
pp. 93-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego Turrini ◽  
Romolo Politi ◽  
Roberto Peron ◽  
Davide Grassi ◽  
Christina Plainaki ◽  
...  

2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (S280) ◽  
pp. 249-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan I. Lunine

AbstractThe giant planets of our solar system contain a record of elemental and isotopic ratios of keen interest for what they tell us about the origin of the planets and in particular the volatile compositions of the solid phases. In situ measurements of the Jovian atmosphere performed by the Galileo Probe during its descent in 1995 demonstrate the unique value of such a record, but limited currently by the unknown abundance of oxygen in the interior of Jupiter–a gap planned to be filled by the Juno mission set to arrive at Jupiter in July of 2016. Our lack of knowledge of the oxygen abundance allows for a number of models for the Jovian interior with a range of C/O ratios. The implications for the origin of terrestrial water are briefly discussed. The complementary data sets for Saturn may be obtained by a series of very close, nearly polar orbits, at the end of the Cassini-Huygens mission in 2016-2017, and the proposed Saturn Probe. This set can only obtain what we have for Jupiter if the Saturn Probe mission carries a microwave radiometer.


Economies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 133
Author(s):  
Derick Quintino ◽  
José Telo da Gama ◽  
Paulo Ferreira

Brazil is one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of cattle, chicken and swine. Therefore, co-movements of Brazilian meat prices are important for both domestic and foreign stakeholders. We propose to analyse the cross-correlation between meat prices in Brazil, namely, cattle, swine and chicken, including also in the analysis information from some commodities, namely maize, soya beans, oil, and the Brazilian exchange rate. Our sample covers the recent period which coincided with extensive macroeconomic and institutional changes in Brazil, from 2011 to 2020, and is divided in two periods: (i) presidential pre-impeachment (P1), occurring in August 2016, and; (ii) post-impeachment (P2). Our results indicate that in P1, only the prices of swine and chicken showed a positive and strong correlation over time, and that cattle showed some positive correlation with chicken only in the short run. In P2, there was also a positive and consistent correlation between swine and chicken, and only a positive association with swine and cattle in the long run. For more spaced time scales (days), the changes in the degree of correlation were significant only in the long run for swine and cattle.


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