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New results from optical polarimetry of Saturn's rings

Abstract

Linear polarimetry of Saturn's rings, obtained through the period of the 1979 opposition, is presented. The polarisation clearly correlates in direction with the plane containing the Sun, planet and Earth, but not the ring plane. The results are consistent with local scattering on the surface of individual ring bodies, covered with frost.

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Johnson, P., Kemp, J., King, R. et al. New results from optical polarimetry of Saturn's rings. Nature 283, 146–149 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1038/283146a0

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