Planetary Rings

Fully updated and expanded, this new edition presents a cutting-edge summary of planetary rings, including results from Cassinis Saturn System, Equinox and Solstice missions, and the New Horizons flyby of Jupiter. The book introduces basic physical processes and simple mathematical approaches in an accessible manner, including N-body and stochastic models of ring dynamics. Further revised chapters present highlighted topics including Saturns F ring, Uranus rings and moons, Neptunes partial rings, dusty rings, and Jupiters ring-moon system after Galileo and New Horizons. Cassini results are fully integrated throughout, including new images in color, and a new Afterword links ring images in the Cassini Hall of Fame gallery to the relevant explanation in the text. An online cache of images and videos from NASAs collection makes it easy to locate relevant and beautiful illustrative materials. This is a key resource for students, researchers and professionals in planetary science, astronomy and space-mission research.

Preface: a personal view of planetary rings
1. Introduction: the allure of the ringed planets
2. Studies of planetary rings 1610–2013
3. Diversity of planetary rings
4. Individual ring particles and their collisions
5. Large-scale ring evolution
6. Moons confine and sculpt rings
7. Explaining ring phenomena
8. N-body simulations
9. Stochastic models
10. Age and evolution of rings
11. Saturn's mysterious F ring
12. Uranus' rings and moons
13. Neptune's partial rings
14. Jupiter's ring-moon system after Galileo and New Horizons
15. Ring photometry
16. Dusty rings
17. Concluding remarks
Afterword
Glossary
References
Index.