Uranian ring orbits from Earth-based and Voyager occultation observations.

R. G. French, J. L. Elliot, L. M. French, J. A. Kangas, K. J. Meech, M. Ressler, M. W. Buie, J. A. Frogel, J. B. Holberg, J. Jimenez-Fuensalida, and M. Joy. Icarus 73, 349-378 (1988). .

ABSTRACT

A novel kinematical model of the Uranian rings has been derived from Voyager occultation timings and earth-based observations of the occultations of U23, U25, and U28, to yield an improved orbit solution that is accurate to about 1 km in the ring plane; this allows a critical comparison to be conducted between ring locations and suspected resonances. The gamma ring is noted to have a peculiar orbit that combines a precessing elliptical ring with a radially-oscillating normal mode. The kinematical model confirms the suspected association of resonances between the 1986U7 and 1986U8 satellites with some of the rings.

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