The rings of Saturn: Two-frequency radar observations |
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Authors: | RM Goldstein RR Green GH Pettengill DB Campbell |
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Institution: | Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California 91103, USA;Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA;National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center, Arecibo, Puerto Rico 00612, USA |
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Abstract: | Observations of 3.5- and 12.6-cm radar echoes from the rings of Saturn suggest that no significant difference in scattering properties exists in this wavelength interval. The echoes are largely unpolarized at both wavelengths, and yield a radar cross section at 3.5 cm of 7.32 ± 0.84 × 109 km2 for each polarization. The combined radar cross sections for both polarizations correspond to 1.37 ± 0.16 times the optically observed projected A- and B-ring areas (excluding that part of the rings shadowed by the planet). The shape of the echo spectrum is compatible with a homogeneous ring scattering model, except in having excess power at frequencies near the center of the spectrum. A number of possible explanations for the observed scattering properties are explored. |
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