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The Uranian Ring System

The Uranian ring system was discovered in 1977 during observations of a stellar occultation by the planet. The star was observed to blink out briefly five times before the planet and again five times afterward, indicating that the planet was encircled by five narrow rings. Subsequent Earth-based observations indicated that there were actually nine major rings. Working outward from the planet, they are named 6, 5, 4, Alpha, Beta, Eta, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon. In 1986 the Voyager spacecraft acquired additional occultations and also our best images of the ring system. The Voyager cameras detected a few additional rings and also showed that the nine major rings are surrounded by belts of fine dust.

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Animations

  • Radio occultation geometry (QuickTime (MOV) format, 1.1 Mbytes).
      This animation illustrates the view from Voyager 2 during the radio occultation experiment. The flickering light is the Sun as its blocked by the planet and rings.

  • PPS/UVS stellar occultation geometry (QuickTime (MOV) format, 1.3 Mbytes).
      This animation illustrates the view from Voyager 2 during the occultation of the star sigma Sgr by Uranus' ring system. The Voyager photopolarimeter (PPS) and ultraviolet spectrometer (UVS) observed the occultation, providing precise information about the locations and opacities of these narrow rings.

  • Huge Spring Storms Rouse Uranus from Winter Hibernation (MPEG format, 3.9 Mbytes).
      This dramatic new time-lapse movie by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope clearly shows for the first time the wobble in the ring system, which is made of billions of tiny pebbles. This wobble may be caused by Uranus' shape, which is like a slightly flattened globe, along with the gravitational tug from its many moons. For more information, including the complete press release and a higher resolution animation visit the Space Telescope Science Institute.

  • Time-Lapse Movie of S/2003 U 1 Oribiting Uranus (QuickTime (MOV) format, 752 Kbytes).
      This time-lapse movie shows a newly discovered moon orbiting Uranus. The movie was made from a series of 4-minute exposures taken Aug. 25, 2003 with the NASA Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys. The exposures were taken 5 minutes apart.

      The moon is temporarily designated as S/2003 U 1 until the International Astronomical Union (IAU) formally certifies its discovery. S/2003 U 1 is orbiting 60,600 miles (97,700 km) away from the planet. If the satellite is as dark as Uranus's other moons, it is 10 miles (16 km) across, about the size of San Francisco. The Hubble telescope spotted S/2003 U 1 orbiting between the moons Puck, the largest satellite found by Voyager, and Miranda, the innermost of the five largest Uranian satellites. Astronomers previously thought this region was empty space. S/2003 U 1 whirls around the gas giant planet in 22 hours and 9 minutes.

      The white concentric lines at right are part of the planet's system of 10 rings. Several other moons can be seen orbiting just outside the rings.

      Credit: NASA, M. Showalter (Stanford University/NASA Ames Research Center), J. Lissauer (NASA Ames Research Center)

      Space Telescope Science Institute News Release.

  • Time-Lapse Movie of S/2003 U 2 Orbiting Uranus (QuickTime (MOV) format, 268 Kbytes).
      This time-lapse movie shows a newly discovered moon orbiting Uranus. The movie was made from a series of 4-minute exposures taken Aug. 25, 2003 with the NASA Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys. The exposures were taken 5 minutes apart.

      The moon, Uranus's tiniest known satellite, is temporarily designated as S/2003 U 2 until the International Astronomical Union formally certifies its discovery. S/2003 U 2 is 8 miles (12 km) wide and orbits 46,400 miles (74,800 km) away from Uranus, circling the planet in 14 hours and 50 minutes.

      In this movie, the bright object below S/2003 U 2 is Belinda, whose orbital path is just 200 to 450 miles (300 to 700 km) from the new moon. The object above the new moon is another satellite, designated S/1986 U 10, seen here for the first time since the Voyager spacecraft snapped a picture of it in 1986.

      The white concentric lines at left are part of the planet's system of 10 rings. Several other moons can be seen orbiting just outside the rings.

      Credit: NASA, M. Showalter (Stanford University/NASA Ames Research Center), J. Lissauer (NASA Ames Research Center)

      Space Telescope Science Institute News Release.

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    Images

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    Related Web Sites

    These sites contain more information about Uranus and its ring system.

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