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Fundamental Astronomy

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180<br />

7. The Solar System<br />

The F ring, discovered in 1979, is about 3000 km outside<br />

A. The ring is only a few hundred kilometres wide.<br />

On both sides there is a small moon; these shepherds<br />

prevent the ring from spreading. An interior moon passing<br />

a ring particle causes the particle to move to a larger<br />

orbit. Similarly, at the outer edge of the ring, a second<br />

moon forces the particles inward. The net result is that<br />

the ring is kept narrow.<br />

Outside the F ring, there are some zones of<br />

very sparse material, sometimes referred to as the<br />

G and E rings. These are merely collections of small<br />

particles.

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