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Gravitational force on planetary rings
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| lexrazor | Date: Saturday, 07.04.2012, 17:06 | Message # 1 |
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Astronaut
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Bulgaria
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| I probably know the answer but i was curious on Vladimir's opinion. As far as i can understand a planet's gravitational pull would be strongest at certain points depending ot its rotational axis, thus far not alowing this to happen in that way. And all the rock, ice and dust particles would most likely group around the equatorial ring of the planet. But still do you think it's possible for a ring system to be in this confuguration?
Yes the picture is from the Pitch Black movie.
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| SpaceEngineer | Date: Saturday, 07.04.2012, 18:23 | Message # 2 |
 Author of Space Engine
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Russian Federation
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| I've already written about this somewhere. Such a configuration is possible only if the moon was destroyed recently, a few thousands years ago, so newly formed rings still do not take a stable position in equatorial plane of the planet. If the planet already has rings, then they will gravitationally interact with newly created rings, making both of them unstable.
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| lexrazor | Date: Saturday, 07.04.2012, 18:25 | Message # 3 |
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Astronaut
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Bulgaria
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| So its possible to observe this in a fairly short period of time - say a couple of thousand years?
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| RAF_Blackace | Date: Saturday, 07.04.2012, 23:38 | Message # 4 |
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Astronaut
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United Kingdom
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| Eh ?
no, that configuration would not be possible, unless my eyes are deceiving me those rings are parallel to each other but at different latitudes ?
If that is the case then no it would not be possible as each ring must have an ascending and descending node that crosses the equator.
If the rings cross over each other twice at some opposite points then it would be possible, but the image doest seem to indicate that.
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| lexrazor | Date: Sunday, 08.04.2012, 02:16 | Message # 5 |
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Astronaut
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Bulgaria
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| I did mean the rings being parallel to each other. If SE is correct in that case and the two rings do interact in time theoreticaly they would have to merge and might actually apear to wobble.
Im guessing for a double ring system to cross each other would have to be a resul of the planet's two moons coliding with each other and moving against each other at different angles.
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| SpaceEngineer | Date: Sunday, 08.04.2012, 13:10 | Message # 6 |
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Author of Space Engine
Group: Administrators
Russian Federation
Messages: 4800
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| No, the ring's plane ALWAYS crosses the center of the planet! Real orbits always have planet's center in one of its focus (for an elliptical orbit) or center (for a circular orbit). This is so obviously so I never thought that it should be noted  So double rings are only possible if they have different inclination angle and a different radius (they obviously should not intersect).
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