So I guess this is a genuine accretion disc?

Mephane · Jun 4, 2016

At first I thought no way could a planet exist in a gap between the rings (because of the roche limit) until I realized the outer rings are not rings, but an accretion disc!

Luke3107 · Jun 4, 2016

What exactly is an accretion disc?

And a roche limit?

Mephane · Jun 4, 2016

Luke3107 said:
What exactly is an accretion disc?

And a roche limit?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accretion_disk

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roche_limit

Yaffle · Jun 4, 2016

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accretion_disk

and

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roche_limit

Ninja'd

[VR] optimal_909 · Jun 4, 2016

Before 2.1 most giant rings weren't visible, but I read in the 2.1 update list that it has been fixed - and here is the evidence.

Jackie Silver · Jun 4, 2016

You can have moons inside the Roche limit and inside a ring. They may not survive indefinitely.

Per Wiki, Saturn, Jupiter and Uranus all have moons that fit the bill.

Mephane · Jun 4, 2016

Jackie Silver said:
You can have moons inside the Roche limit and inside a ring. They may not survive indefinitely.

Per Wiki, Saturn, Jupiter and Uranus all have moons that fit the bill.

Oh, I did not know that. Thanks for the heads up.

Luke3107 · Jun 4, 2016

Ok, so if I've got this right.

Accretion Discs are a fancy name for planetary rings

Roche Limit is the point where larger objects caught in a gravitational pull will start to break apart

Edit: Nvm, know I've got accretion discs wrong. Still working on it though.

Arnoldo · Jun 4, 2016

Doesn't quite fit with old rugby songs does it....

Sing, sing or show us your 'accretion disc'? Cant see that going down too well after a pint or 12

Whitmann · Jun 4, 2016

IIRC there's a few moonlets in Saturn's ring system, one called Pan

Surly_Badger · Jun 4, 2016

The milky way galaxy is Sagittarius A*' accretion disk.

Mephane · Jun 5, 2016

Surly_Badger said:
The milky way galaxy is Sagittarius A*' accretion disk.

Is this just a metaphor or backed by science?