[X] My Assistant

[Bjorn Jonsson]

Spoke-like features are visible in several recent wide angle images of the rings:

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/imag...eiImageID=80037
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/imag...eiImageID=80036
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/imag...eiImageID=80034

These are high-phase views so any spokes should be brighter than the rings. And indeed there is a bright, narrow, vertically elongated feature visible in the B ring in several images that *might* be spokes. On the negative side there's this:

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/imag...eiImageID=80041
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/imag...eiImageID=80031
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/imag...eiImageID=80032

Nothing obvious here so the spoke-like feature might be due to something else, for example scattered light within the camera - it's suspicious that the camera is pointing in a slightly different direction in these images. Another possibility is that the images were obtained at different times - the spokes vary with time. It will be interesting to see if these features are spokes or not.

[The Messenger]

You know, there are some rather highly reflective moons hanging around. Are we sure the spokes are not enlongated reflections and/or shadows from these Fresnelly-challenged objects and rings? What does moonlight reflecting off a ring look like? The spoke papers mechanisms I have perused don't seem to correlate with the bulk movement I see in the spokes...if I am correctly interpreting what the spokes 'are'.

[dilo]

You know, there are some rather highly reflective moons hanging around. Are we sure the spokes are not enlongated reflections and/or shadows from these Fresnelly-challenged objects and rings? What does moonlight reflecting off a ring look like? The spoke papers mechanisms I have perused don't seem to correlate with the bulk movement I see in the spokes...if I am correctly interpreting what the spokes 'are'.

Interesting observation, IMHO seems very improbable we are seeing moons reflections...
However, I do not know very well the spokes theories. Do them should appear brighter in the unlit ring side, as we see there? (they should if made of very thin particles...)