Ringmakers of Saturn PDF - Patrick Crusade

SATURN'S RINGS EXPLAINED
luminous source at about 5600 km (3480 mi). This distance is slightly
over 1 1/2 times the diameter of earth's moon and about the same as the
airline distance between New York and London. The large magnitude
attests to the vast energy powering the engine of the slender space
vehicle.
Projecting from beneath the luminous source in Plate 6 is a wire-like
arm which curves upward into the foreground toward the left. At
Plate 6: A slender vehicle forms an A-ring trail which includes a luminous source.
about 1/3 of its length from the bottom, the arm has a bulge in it. This
bulge appears to be a doughnut-shaped formation, or toroid through
which the arm passes. Presence of a toroid indicates that the arm is
acting as a conductor carrying electricity. Such an indication is given
because physically a circular conductor of electricity has, in cross
section, magnetic-field lines consisting of concentric circles (i.e., circles
with a common center). Magnetizable matter caught in such a field will
align itself concentrically with the conductor and collectively assume a
toroidal shape. Diameter of the conductor is in the neighborhood of
350 km (220 mi). Length is of the order of 4000 km (2500 mi). Without
this arm, maintenance of the luminous source probably would be
impossible.
Scaling the vehicle in Plate 6 yields an apparent fineness ratio of
about 13 to 1, the same as for its companion vehicle in Plate 5.
Orientation of the trails from both vehicles suggests that the two are
moving toward one another, apparently on a collision course. A
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