http://ringside.arc.nasa.gov/ (World Wide Web Directory, ~04/1995)

The Planetary Rings Node

The Planetary Rings Node is devoted to archiving and distributing scientific data sets relevant to planetary ring systems. The two major classes of ring data are images and occultation profiles, although a variety of additional data types (e.g. spectra, particle absorption signatures, etc.) are also of interest. A large fraction of our data sets are from the Voyager missions to the outer planets, but Earth-based and HST data sets are also represented. The Rings Node also performs a variety of services to support research into these data sets. These services include developing on-line catalogs and information systems, filling orders for data, developing software tools, and coordinating special observing campaigns.

The Planetary Rings Node supports research into all aspects of planetary ring systems, including their physical properties (particle sizes, composition, ring geometry), dynamical processes (including interactions with satellites) and origins. Indirectly, the Node also supports studies of other dynamical analogs such as the solar nebula and the asteroid belt, where similar physical processes are (or were) at work. In addition to supporting research, the Rings Node is committed to NASA's broader goal of educating the public about science and technology.

The Rings Node is a cooperative project of NASA Ames Research Center and the Center for Radar Astronomy at Stanford University. Facilities are managed at Ames by

Dr. Mark Showalter

Ken Bollinger

HOT STUFF - Topics of current special interest

The 1995/1996 Saturn ring plane crossings.