Cosmic rain! Astronomers have discovered that the rings of Saturn produce their own rain that falls onto the planet, having a major impact on its atmosphere.
A new study tracked the “rain” of charged water particles into the atmosphere of Saturn and found there is more of it and it falls across larger areas of the planet than previously thought.
The study, whose observations were funded by Nasa and whose analysis was led by the University of Leicester, England, reveals that the rain influences the composition and temperature structure of parts of Saturn’s upper atmosphere.
“Saturn is the first planet to show significant interaction between its atmosphere and ring system,” said James O’Donoghue, lead author of the study.
“The main effect of ring rain is that it acts to ‘quench’ the ionosphere of Saturn. In other words, this rain severely reduces the electron densities in regions in which it falls,” he said in a Nasa statement.
O’Donoghue noted the ring’s effect on electron densities is important because it explains why, for many decades, observations have shown those densities to be unusually low at certain latitudes on Saturn. The study, published in the journal Nature, also helps scientists better understand the origin and evolution of Saturn’s ring system and changes in the planet’s atmosphere.