Have You Ever Heard About the Rings of Saturn?
Scientists have never before understood the internal structure, temperature, composition and flow of Saturn’s rings at Saturn orbit. Only by studying rings made by other spacecraft can scientists learn about the secrets of Saturn’s rings. Saturn’s rings are made of aluminum oxide, which is the same stuff that astronauts use for rocket fuel. The aluminum oxide is very smooth and shiny, which is its only real disadvantage. It can be very cold (which is part of why it’s used in rings) and it absorbs infrared radiation, which means it’s an ideal place for a ring’s reflective surface to be located.
To understand Saturn’s rings more fully, it helps to break them down into their component parts. Saturn’s rings are composed of “substrings,” which are groups of more than one inner string or bead. Each of the beads in a ring can vibrate. The vibrations of the beads cause the metal atoms to bump into one another. If the spacing between the bumping atoms is large enough, they can cause a chemical reaction called resonation. This reaction creates a microscopic energy fluctuation that fills the space inside the substrings, creating an incredibly high level of electromagnetic energy.
If you put these tiny particles inside an extremely strong magnet, they would stick to the inner surface of the magnet. The attraction-deflecting field of a powerful magnet can capture the vibrational energy of any metal particles within the ring’s circumference. Understanding the inner workings of the ring theory, scientists were able to mathematically describe this phenomenon and found a mathematical model that explains the microscopic fluctuations in ring energy.
Scientists have also calculated the amount of energy a planet like Jupiter must possess to make rings. If there was no friction between the particles within the rings, there would have to be an equally strong force pushing the particles together, which would cause the planet’s mass to boil into liquid metal. However, this is not what happens when two objects are tightly wrapped around each other. In order for the planets to remain locked together, the force must be significantly less than the pull of gravity. This discrepancy has been the leading cause of arguments between those who believe that there is a God and those who do not.
A lot of interest is currently being given to the question of how rings came into existence. Some people believe that they are randomly produced by the universe. There are some who believe that the rings we see around the wrists and fingers are a direct result of the work of God. Others believe that they were created by man. Whichever side of the argument you fall on, you cannot deny the fascination that rings have for people of all cultures.
If you would like to become involved with researching rings or would simply like to learn more about their history, you can contact a research associate at a graduate school of science that specializes in the science of rings. They will be happy to chat with you in further detail. Remember, if you choose to study the science of rings, you will most likely have to put some of your own time into the project. If you think you might have a natural talent for it, take it up on your own.