592
A Ripple in Space (thelemmy.club)
submitted 1 day ago by fossilesque@mander.xyz to c/science_memes@mander.xyz
42 comments fedilink hide all child comments
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] yakko@feddit.uk 107 points 1 day ago

Selections from Wikipedia, for others who may find it interesting:

Daphnis's eccentricity causes its distance from Saturn to vary by ~9 km (5.6 mi), and its inclination causes it to move up and down by ~17 km (11 mi).

As it orbits, it creates gravitational ripples on the edges of the Keeler gap as ring particles are attracted toward the moon and then fall back down toward the ring. The waves made by the moon in the inner edge of the gap precede it in orbit, while those on the outer edge lag behind it, due to the differences in relative orbital speed. In a photograph taken on January 18, 2017, a tendril of ring particles can be seen to extend toward the moon; according to JPL, "this may have resulted from a moment when Daphnis drew a packet of material out of the ring, and now that packet is spreading itself out."

Also, it little resembles any moon I have seen. It is more akin to a fat grain of rice.

[-] Grandwolf319@sh.itjust.works 12 points 1 day ago

Wait does this mean just from gravity, the little moon is eating the rings over time and growing?

Neat!

[-] yakko@feddit.uk 22 points 1 day ago

The rings are, in cosmic terms, exceedingly temporary. We're lucky to have lived at the same time as them.

[-] Smoogs@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago

the moon: nom nom

[-] untorquer@quokk.au 5 points 1 day ago

So gravity plus gyroscopic precession (or pedantically named related effect)

this post was submitted on 05 Jul 2026
592 points (97.9% liked)

Science Memes

20629 readers
2248 users here now

Welcome to c/science_memes @ Mander.xyz!

A place for majestic STEMLORD peacocking, as well as memes about the realities of working in a lab.

Meta Post Tags

Rules

  1. Don't throw mud. Behave like an intellectual and remember the human.
  2. Keep it rooted (on topic).
  3. No spam.
  4. Infographics welcome, get schooled.

If you are here asking: "Is this a science meme?"

Probably, yes. We use the Dawkins definition of meme: a replicating idea, not just an image macro with a fact on it. A good post here doesn't need to teach you something. It needs to make you ask something: who, what, where, when, and especially why or how.

Science isn't a filing cabinet of facts, it's a conversation. For example, a photo of an eel or other localized wildlife counts because most people never see one, and wonder is the first step of inquiry. A car meme counts if it makes you curious about what's under the bonnet. If you want to talk about something you noticed in the world, chances are someone else wants to talk about it too.

We moderate for vibe, not category. Pruning is light, especially where a post creates interesting discussion. Experimenting is encouraged.

See the pinned paper on Shitposting as Public Pedagogy if you want the academic case for why this works.

Research Committee

Other Mander Communities

Science and Research

Biology and Life Sciences

Physical Sciences

Humanities and Social Sciences

Practical and Applied Sciences

Memes

Miscellaneous

founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
Sal@mander.xyz
fossilesque@mander.xyz
SciBot@mander.xyz
fossilesque@lemmy.dbzer0.com