Saturn's Rings

[sci.astro.amateur added for comment]

Mark Isaak wrote:
[i]
Kent Hovind says Saturns's rings are gradually moving outward. Walt
Brown says they are being eroded by meteoroids. Therefore, they both
say, the rings cannot be billions of years old.

Does anybody know what Hovind's claim refers to? (Brown cites J.N.
Cuzzi, Sky & Telescope 69, Jan. 1985, p. 22: "the expected bombardment
rate would pulverize the entire system in only 10,000 years! ... f
only a tiny fraction is truly lost ..., it becomes a real trick to
maintain the rings....") Does anybody have good references to the
actual dynamics of Saturn's rings?

--
Mark Isaak eciton (at) earthlink (dot) net
"Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of
the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are
being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and
exposing the country to danger." -- Hermann Goering


Mark,

I've read that the rings are a transient (albeit long-lived)
phenomena, but don't recall the details. The 10,000 year figure
seems too low, but I don't have a good reference for that.

I've added sci.astro.amateur because I suspect there are wise
folk there that can give you a better answer.

Tom McDonald

[sci.astro.amateur added for comment]

Mark Isaak wrote:
[i]
Kent Hovind says Saturns's rings are gradually moving outward. Walt
Brown says they are being eroded by meteoroids. Therefore, they both
say, the rings cannot be billions of years old.

Does anybody know what Hovind's claim refers to? (Brown cites J.N.
Cuzzi, Sky & Telescope 69, Jan. 1985, p. 22: "the expected bombardment
rate would pulverize the entire system in only 10,000 years! ... f
only a tiny fraction is truly lost ..., it becomes a real trick to
maintain the rings....") Does anybody have good references to the
actual dynamics of Saturn's rings?

--
Mark Isaak eciton (at) earthlink (dot) net
"Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of
the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are
being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and
exposing the country to danger." -- Hermann Goering


Mark,

I've read that the rings are a transient (albeit long-lived)
phenomena, but don't recall the details. The 10,000 year figure
seems too low, but I don't have a good reference for that.

I've added sci.astro.amateur because I suspect there are wise
folk there that can give you a better answer.

Tom McDonald