Planets with Rings

by Joseph Stanovsky PhD

2012 by J S INTRODUCTION A spherical planet spinning about a central axis of rotation may itself orbit about a star and be accompanied by orbiting satellites or moons. Photographs of moons or the telescopic views of satellites that rotate around a spinning planet show these satellites tend to populate the equatorial plane of a spinning planet. Saturn is the best known planet with satellite rings. These satellites populate Saturns equatorial plane. Why satellites populate the equatorial plane of a spinning planet is described next. SATELLITE MOTION The position of a satellite of a spinning planet is shown in Fig. 1. The satellite is located by a right-hand coordinate system with origin O at the centroid of a planet. z S = Satellite R
Planet of radius r O A

Figure 1: The centroid of the planet is at O; the x-y axes and the equator of the planet are congruent; radian/second is the z-axis angular velocity of the planet; the distance from O to satellite center S is R and the base OA of right triangle AOS lies in the x-y plane. The angle at O is defined by the right triangle OAS. MATHEMATICAL DERIVATION A right-hand coordinate system is shown in Fig. 1. The letter sequence x, y, z is preserved in the algebra of coordinates: that is, positive rotational sequences are those in which the positive z-axis is that for which the positive x-axis rotates to the positive y-axis; positive y-axis is defined by rotating the positive z-axis to the positive x-axis; and the positive x-axis is defined by rotating the positive y-axis to the positive z-axis. The magnitude of vector OS = R is shown in Fig. 1 and used in eq. (1) to define the vector Xi (i = 1, 2, 3) using Schoutens Tensor notation. Cos Cos Xi = R (displacement units) Cos Sin (unit vector matrix) (1) Sin The matrix in eq. (1) is a unit vector because the dot product XX = R2. The 1, 2 and 3 components of eq. (1) are the x, y and zdisplacement components of a satellite measured from O. The mathematical derivation will show that a satellite like that in Fig. 1 that is near a spinning planet will, in time, be captured by the planet. It will be shown that a captured satellite will move toward the equatorial plane of a planet (the required nearness of satellite to planet is not discussed).

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The satellite capturing process is developed from eq. (1), which is an equation that defines satellite velocity d(Xi)/dt. Cos Cos d(Xi)/dt = dR/dt Cos Sin Sin Sin Cos Cos Sin +R d/dt Sin Sin +R d/dt Cos Cos (2) Cos 0 Three vector matrices are shown in eq. (2). The satellite velocity components in each matrix are: the x-component in the first row (i = 1), the y-velocity component is on the second row (i = 2) while row three (i = 3) defines the z-velocity component. Instead of calculating satellite accelerations for all three components, the derivation procedure is simplified by calculating only the z-component of satellite acceleration. d2 (Xi=3)/dt2 = d2 R/dt2 Sin dR/dt d/dt Cos +dR/dt d/dt Cos +R d2/dt2 Cos +R (d/dt)2 Sin (3) 3 3 Maximum or minimum conditions of eq. (3) are determined from d (Xi=3)/dt = 0. The mathematical theory of satellite motion to be described is further simplified by observing that planet dimensions are large and those that locate a satellite are larger, so that dR/dt and d2 R/dt2 can be assumed to be very small. Thus, the extremes of eq (3) are those defined in eq. (4) in which R is a constant. d3(Xi)/dt3 = d R d2/dt2 Cos +R (d/dt)2 Sin /dt = d C /dt = 0 Equations (5) and (6) are the solutions for all R > 0 in eq. (4). d2/dt2 Cos = (d/dt)2 Sin (5) 2 Since (d/dt) in eq. (6) is always positive (it is a squared term), all sign changes in eq. (6) are established by d2/dt2. d2/dt2 = (d/dt)2 Tan (6)

{}

(4)

RESULTS The left side of eq. (6) defines the linear z-component of satellite acceleration. The algebraic sign of a satellites linear z-component of acceleration is defined by Tan . The linear z-axis satellite velocity and displacement are obtained by integrating eq. (6) and have the same sign as the acceleration. Consider just four solutions of eq. (6). Item A in Table 1 applies to satellites already orbiting a planet but displaced a small positive displacement from the equatorial plane of a spinning planet. Item B in Table 1 applies to satellites already orbiting a planet but displaced a small negative displacement from the equatorial plane of a spinning planet. Item C in Table 1 applies to a captured satellite that is originally displaced a large positive z-displacement from the equatorial plane. Item D in Table 1 applies to a captured satellite that is originally displaced a large negative z-displacement from the equatorial plane.

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The angle is restricted to the range 0 < < 1.0 The displacement meter is restricted to the range 0 < < 1.0 meter. A captured satellite orbiting a spinning planet displaced z = + from the equatorial plane. Item A: If = and z = +. Then Tan > 0 and d2/dt2< 0 the satellite moves z = toward the equatorial plane. A captured satellite orbiting a spinning planet displaced z = from the equatorial plane. Item B: If = and z = . Then Tan < 0 and d2/dt2 > 0 the satellite moves z = + toward the equatorial plane. The possible capture of a satellite a distant +Q from the equatorial plane of a spinning planet. Item C: For in the range + < < (90 ), then Tan > 0 and d2/dt2< 0. The possible capture of a satellite a distant Q from the equatorial plane of a spinning planet. Item D: For in the range < < (90 ), then Tan < 0 and d2/dt2 > 0.

TABLE 1: Solutions of eq. (6)

if captured, the satellite moves z = Q toward the equatorial plane.

if captured, the satellite moves z = +Q toward the equatorial plane.

DISCUSSION The Chinese historian Xi Zezong, working in the 20th Century, is known to have examined many ancient Chinese documents. In one ancient document Xi Zezong says he discovered that Chinese Astronomer Gan De, a man of excellent eyesight, had seen and recorded in the year 362 b.c.e his observation of Jupiter and its moon Ganymede. Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) saw at least one moon of Planet Jupiter on the night of 11 January 1607 and eventually identified four moons. Galileo wrote about the Moons in the Starry Messenger (Sidereus Nuncius). It was the orbital motion of the moons around the planet Jupiter and his support for orbital motion of Earth about the Sun for which Galileo was charged with heresy. The charge harmed his personal life, halted his work as an independent scientist and made it impossible for him to converse with other scientists. Galileo, the Father Of Science, was imprisoned from 1634 until 1642. The Galilean satellites were also observed by Simon Mayr in 1614. It was Mayr who suggested the moon names Io, Europa, Ganymede and Calisto. Figure 2 shows the four moons orbiting Planet Jupiter. These moons populate the equatorial plane of Jupiter.

z
Calisto Ganymede Europa

o
Io

Equator Jupiter

Figure 2: The Planet Jupiter is shown spinning at radian per second about the z-axis with the four Galilean moons orbiting and populating the equatorial plane. CONCLUSIONS Except for unusual and unpredictable circumstances (cataclysmic), the equatorial motion of satellites around a spinning planet tend to remain in the equatorial plane of that planet. Nearby satellites, those not at the equatorial plane of a planet will, in time, move to the equatorial plane. Furthermore, a planet that doesnt rotate or spin about a centroidal axis tends not to attract satellites.

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