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New Kind of Ring Around Saturn ?
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  • Letter
  • Published: 01 April 1973

New Kind of Ring Around Saturn ?

  • T. R. MCDONOUGH1 &
  • N. M. BRICE1 

Nature volume 242, page 513 (1973)Cite this article

  • 250 Accesses

  • 28 Citations

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Abstract

TITAN, a satellite of Saturn, is the only satellite in the Solar System known to possess an atmosphere. That such a small body, only 87% more massive than the Earth's Moon and with a diameter but 40% larger1, should have an atmosphere is a mystery to which Sagan2 may have provided an answer—outgassing of the satellite. But barring extraordinary circumstances, the satellite must lose its atmosphere at a prodigious rate. But what happens to the atmosphere after it leaves Titan?

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References

  1. Newburn, jun., R. L., and Gulkis, S., JPL Technical Report, 32–1529 (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., 1971).

  2. Sagan, C., Icarus (in the press).

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  6. Semar, C. L., J. Geophys. Res., 75, 6892 (1970). [Erratum in J. Geophys. Res., 76, 5374 (1971).]

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  8. Axford, W. I., Solar Wind (edit. by Sonett, C. P., Coleman, jun., P. J., and Wilcox, J. M.) NASA No. SP-308 (US Govt Printing Office, Washington, DC, 1972).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Electrical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 14850

    T. R. MCDONOUGH & N. M. BRICE

Authors
  1. T. R. MCDONOUGH
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  2. N. M. BRICE
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Cite this article

MCDONOUGH, T., BRICE, N. New Kind of Ring Around Saturn ?. Nature 242, 513 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1038/242513a0

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  • Received: 21 March 1973

  • Published: 01 April 1973

  • Issue date: 20 April 1973

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/242513a0

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This article is cited by

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    Space Science Reviews (1977)

  • Jupiter after Pioneer: a progress report

    • Thomas R. McDonough

    Nature (1974)

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