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The confinement of Neptune's ring arcs by the moon Galatea

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  • Fathi Namouni

    (Southwest Research Institute)

  • Carolyn Porco

    (Southwest Research Institute)

Abstract

Neptune has five narrow ring arcs, spanning about 40 degrees in longitude, which are apparently confined against the rapid azimuthal and radial spreading that normally results from inter-particle collisions. A gravitational resonance based on the vertical motion of the nearby neptunian moon Galatea was proposed1,2 to explain the trapping of the ring particles into a sequence of arcs. But recent observations3,4 have indicated that the arcs are away from the resonance, leaving their stability again unexplained. Here we report that a resonance based on Galatea's eccentricity is responsible for the angular confinement of the arcs. The mass of the arcs affects the precession of Galatea's eccentric orbit, which will enable a mass estimate from future observations of Galatea's eccentricity.

Suggested Citation

  • Fathi Namouni & Carolyn Porco, 2002. "The confinement of Neptune's ring arcs by the moon Galatea," Nature, Nature, vol. 417(6884), pages 45-47, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:417:y:2002:i:6884:d:10.1038_417045a
    DOI: 10.1038/417045a
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