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Spiral density waves in Saturn's rings

Spiral density waves in Saturn's rings
Spiral density waves in Saturn's rings The presence of small moons near Saturn excites a variety of wavelike formations in Saturn's rings. Because parts of the rings closer to Saturn circle the planet faster than parts of the rings farther from Saturn, these waves get sheared out until they wrap repeatedly around the planet, forming a tightly wound spiral. In an individual Cassini photo, the spiral appears like a set of parallel rings with decreasing width. This photo was taken on April 1, 2008 while Cassini was on the sunlit side of the rings. It has a scale of approximately one kilometer per pixel. NASA / JPL-Caltech / SSI