Undergrad Why are Saturn's rings in its equatorial plane?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the mechanisms that cause small ice and stone particles to orbit Saturn in its equatorial plane. Key hypotheses include gravitational effects due to Saturn's bulging equator and tidal forces that influence orbital inclinations. The consensus on this topic remains elusive, as highlighted by the referenced article from arXiv, which explores various theories regarding the formation and maintenance of Saturn's rings. The complexity of planetary astronomy is emphasized through the detailed analysis provided in the 76-page paper.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of gravitational forces in celestial mechanics
  • Familiarity with orbital mechanics and tidal effects
  • Knowledge of planetary formation theories
  • Basic comprehension of the structure and dynamics of planetary rings
NEXT STEPS
  • Read the detailed paper on Saturn's rings available at https://arxiv.org/abs/0912.3017
  • Explore gravitational dynamics in celestial mechanics
  • Investigate the role of tidal forces in planetary ring systems
  • Study the formation theories of other planetary rings in the solar system
USEFUL FOR

Astronomers, astrophysicists, and students of planetary science will benefit from this discussion, particularly those interested in the dynamics of planetary rings and the gravitational interactions that shape them.

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What mechanism pulled small ice and stone particles preferentially into orbiting in the equatorial plane of Saturn? Is there a resonance involved? Wikipedia says that there is no consensus. What are some hypotheses?
What mechanism pulled small ice and stone particles preferentially into orbiting in the equatorial plane of Saturn? Is there a resonance involved? Wikipedia says that there is no consensus. What are some hypotheses?
 
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This article cover some theories about the formation of rings https://arxiv.org/abs/0912.3017

What mechanism that pulled objects in, gravity? Why in the equatorial plane? Isn't that just due to spinning objects tend to bulge out at the equator, which makes gravity stronger there so that every orbiting object will eventually end up orbiting that object around the equatorial plane due to tidal effects? This should be a well known and established theory.
 
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Yes, that alignment should follow from basic orbital mechanics. With a bulge and a non-equatorial orbit there is an oscillating gravitational force component perpendicular to the orbital plane that acts to change the orbital inclination towards the plane of the bulge.
 
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drmalawi said:
This article cover some theories about the formation of rings https://arxiv.org/abs/0912.3017

What mechanism that pulled objects in, gravity? Why in the equatorial plane? Isn't that just due to spinning objects tend to bulge out at the equator, which makes gravity stronger there so that every orbiting object will eventually end up orbiting that object around the equatorial plane due to tidal effects? This should be a well known and established theory.
This article cover some theories about the formation of rings https://arxiv.org/abs/0912.3017
This very detailed paper, of 76 pages, discusses different mechanisms for the creation and maintenance of Saturn's many rings. It is amazing how complex planetary astronomy can be. Thanks for referring me to this paper.
 
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