Abstract
THE writer of the “Astronomical Column,” in your number of June 2, directs attention to some observations of M. Bigourdan on certain peculiarities in the appearance of the following arm of Saturn's Rings observed by him on May 21. He mentions in particular a protuberance situated near Cassini's division. This, I think, is easily accounted for in a quite different manner. At 9h. 6m. p.m., according to Marth's ephemeris, two satellites, Enceladus and Tethys, were in conjunction with the east end of the ring. They were going in apparently opposite directions, Tethys away from Saturn. Their conjunctions with the middle of the Cassini division would, I find, take place at 8h. 36m. p.m. for Tethys, and at 9h. 36m. p.m. for Enceladus. Both satellites would be so close to the ring as to appear inseparable from it. Tethys, moving in an orbit inclined as much as 65′ to the plane of the rings, might easily be half superposed in appearance upon the northern boundary of the rings. The following remarks are from my observation-book of date May 21:—
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FREEMAN, A. Saturn's Rings. Nature 46, 150–151 (1892). https://doi.org/10.1038/046150c0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/046150c0
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