Is Saturn's 63rd Moon Being Born?

[PhysicoRaj]

Cassini has recently witnessed a bright bump at the edge of Saturn's rings, indicating the formation of a probable moon.

If confirmed, the informally recognised Peggy will stand the 63^rd moon of the gas giant.
Scientists say that this might be one of the last moon formation incident taking place in the planets ring system, since the rings are no longer rich with material and might be depleted to form moons.
http://time.com/63356/saturn-new-moon/
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-27056698
http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/16/nasa-cassini-saturn-moon/

The new arrival has not been spotted directly yet. What Cassini, which has been orbiting through the Saturnian system since 2004, has seen instead is a sort of bulge in Saturn’s A Ring—the outermost of its larger, brighter bands—that measures 750 mi. (1,200 km) long and 6 mi. (10 km) wide. The rings — made of ice, rock and dust — are believed to be the nurseries in which all of the moons were born, with material coalescing and clumping, adding more mass and thus more gravity, and growing bigger still. The new moon—if it exists—is a pipsqueak, perhaps only 0.5 mi. (0.8 km) in diameter, somewhere within the 750-mi. clump, though there’s no telling exactly how large it will get.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Good work Cassini! Amazing how much we continue to learn about our neighbors!

 

[PhysicoRaj]

Moon formation is a long process.. We've to wait for NASA's confirmation.
They expect to close in on Peggy by late 2016.

“Cassini’s orbit will move closer to the outer edge of the 'A' ring in late 2016 and provide an opportunity to study Peggy in more detail and perhaps even image it.” - Dr Carl Murray of Queen Mary University of London - Icarus

There's a great deal of detail here: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S001910351400150X


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