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Orbit Swapping - Epimetheus & Janus
Jason
post Jul 12 2005, 11:40 AM
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The orbits of these two moonlets vary in distance from Saturn by only 50km - less than the radius of either, so they nominally share an orbit.
The inner moon (Epimetheus?) is slowly catching up with the outer (Janus?) and I understand that in January/February next year they are due to pass one another, and because of their gravitational interaction, to swap positions.
(Epimetheus speeds up relative to Janus and moves to a higher orbit, and Janus does the reverse)
Does anyone know if Cassini will be in a position to take some images which could be made into a movie of the phenomenon? - would be awesome to see the process actually happening.......
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Phil Stooke
post Jul 13 2005, 12:12 AM
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I don't have a number but 100 km can't be right.

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Posts in this topic
- Jason   Orbit Swapping - Epimetheus & Janus   Jul 12 2005, 11:40 AM
- - abalone   QUOTE (Jason @ Jul 12 2005, 10:40 PM)The inne...   Jul 12 2005, 12:14 PM
|- - abalone   QUOTE (abalone @ Jul 12 2005, 11:14 PM)but ho...   Jul 13 2005, 12:06 AM
- - Phil Stooke   I don't have a number but 100 km can't be ...   Jul 13 2005, 12:12 AM
|- - abalone   QUOTE (Phil Stooke @ Jul 13 2005, 11:12 AM)I ...   Jul 13 2005, 02:28 AM
|- - abalone   QUOTE (Phil Stooke @ Jul 13 2005, 11:12 AM)I ...   Jul 18 2005, 12:23 PM
- - Decepticon   New Images Up... http://saturn1.jpl.nasa.gov/multi...   Jul 16 2005, 01:01 PM
- - Mark6   If you look at these two moons in a reference fram...   Jul 18 2005, 02:24 AM
- - Phil Stooke   No, it's not really the same situation. Fir...   Jul 18 2005, 03:04 AM
- - Mark6   QUOTE (Phil Stooke @ Jul 18 2005, 03:04 AM)Mo...   Jul 18 2005, 02:06 PM

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