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No. 67: Jan-Feb 1990

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Direct observations of hyperion's chaotic motion

Hyperion is a 150-kilometer-diameter satellite of Saturn. Hyperion's irregular shape and the gravitational pull of Titan, a larger satellite of Saturn, make it a prime candidate for chaotic motion. After accumulating 53 Hyperion-days of observation, J. Klavetter has confirmed this theoretical suspicion. Hyperion's brightness varies wildly from day to day, as it spins unpredictably. The laws of motion and the largest computers are helpless here; although computer simulation can identify situations where chaos might develop.

More alarmingly, some "subtle" chaos also appears in computer simulations of Pluto's motion and "perhaps other planets."

(Kerr, Richard A.; "First Direct View of Solar System Chaos," Science, 246: 998, 1989.)

Comment. Contemplate what might happen -- or might have happened already -- if any of the other planets moved chaotically.

From Science Frontiers #67, JAN-FEB 1990. © 1990-2000 William R. Corliss

Science Frontiers Sourcebook Project Reviewed in:

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  • "Before opening the book, I set certain standards that a volume which treads into dangerous grounds grounds like this must meet. The author scrupulously met, or even exceeded those standards. Each phenomenon is exhaustively documented, with references to scientific journals [..] and extensive quotations" -- "Book Review: The moon and planets: a catalog of astronomical anomalies", The Sourcebook Project, 1985., Corliss, W. R., Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada>, Vol. 81, no. 1 (1987), p. 24., 02/1987