Chronology Current Month Current Thread Current Date
[Year List] [Month List (current year)] [Date Index] [Thread Index] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Date Prev] [Date Next]

Re: [Phys-l] Question re: Titan Orbit



Titan's orbital radius is 1200 thousand km compared to Saturn's 50 thousand km radius. Thus, the movie is showing only a very small piece of Titan's orbit as it passes between the camera and the disk of Saturn.

John

On Mar 18, 2009, at 7:48 AM, Bob Sciamanda wrote:

Go to http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2009/12/ video/b/
Play the movie and watch the orbit of Saturn's moon, Titan.

This orbit is (or appears to me to be ) in a plane at a CONSTANT latitude of about 75 degrees.
This puzzles me. Should not the orbital plane contain the CG of the system (almost coincident with Saturn's center)?

Somebody please straighten me out!

Bob Sciamanda
Physics, Edinboro Univ of PA (Em)
trebor@winbeam.com
http://www.winbeam.com/~trebor/
_______________________________________________
Forum for Physics Educators
Phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu
https://carnot.physics.buffalo.edu/mailman/listinfo/phys-l