The Rings of Saturn (Fragments)

"The rings of Saturn consist of ice crystals and probably meteorite particles describing circular orbits around the planet's equator. In all likelihood, these are fragments of a former moon that was too close to the planet and was destroyed by its tidal effect..."

Now at the end of the album are seven "fragments" derived from individual takes within the tracks, and correspond to each of the seven named Rings of Saturn (A-G), and can be played as background for short passages.

The sequence of the rings outside to inside: EGFABCD

Excerpts from the book (also "fragments") proceed sequentially through the chapters. The "soundtrack" follows them accordingly. (Best listened to under headphones at a volume that does not interfere with reading).

The book is available at most libraries (search WorldCat), and online at archive.org

E Ring

The E ring (the outermost ring) was first discovered telescopically in 1967, and its presence was confirmed by the Pioneer 11 flyby in 1979. It is a thick disk of very fine icy or dusty material...

The corresponding passage:

"In August 1992, when the dog days were drawing to an end, I set off to walk the countryside of Suffolk..." (p. 3)

G Ring

The G ring was discovered by the Voyager 1 spacecraft in 1980. It is extremely thin, but unlike the E ring, it is probably made of "macroscopic" particles.

The corresponding passage:

"Three or four miles south of Lowestoft the coastline curves gently into the land..." (p. 51 et seq.)

F Ring

The F Ring is a thin, narrow ring held together by "shepherd moons". Voyager 1 discovered the F ring's shepherds, Prometheus and Pandora in 1980. One of the ring's "clumps" may be a tiny moon that actually passes back and forth through the ring on each eccentric orbit.

The corresponding passage:

"I walked for a long time in the shadow of tall apartment blocks, as if at the bottom of a ravine. When at last I reached the beach I was so tired that I lay down and slept till the afternoon. I heard the surge of the sea, and, half dreaming, understood every word of Dutch and for the first time in my life believed I had arrived, and was home. Even when I awoke it seemed to me for a moment that my people were resting all around me as we made our way across the desert..." (pp. 86-87)

A Ring

The A ring is fairly smooth. The widest black gap in the orange ring is the Encke gap. Another division is very close to the outer edge (the Keeler gap), and the moon Prometheus above the outer edge.

The corresponding passage:

"After the first serious disaster, building began on the westernmost fringe of the town, but even of the Grey Friars monastery that dates from that time only a few fragments now remain...." (p. 159) to:

"Never before, Swinburne is said to have claimed that evening in Dunwich, nor ever since, had anything more beautiful been created on earth than that artificial hill, which was green even in midwinter and crowned by a palace of peace, in a similar hue of green." (p. 161)

B Ring

The inner of Saturn's two brightest rings is dense enough to be opaque to light, and behave more like a fluid than they do like individual particles. The particles appear to be organized into uncountable ringlets, many of which are eccentric (not circular). Many of these ringlets are actually all part of one spiral structure wrapping tightly around and around Saturn. No matter how closely Cassini looks at the B ring, it sees more waves, ringlets, and structure. The B ring must be a dynamic and changing place.

The corresponding passage:

The "fluid" nature of this ring corresponds nicely to the sailing of The Scandal:

"From 1860, FitzGerald spent a large part of his time either by the sea or on board the ocean-going yacht he had had built and named Scandal. From Woodbridge he would sail down the Deben and up the coast to Lowestoft, where he hired his crew from among the herring fishers, all the time looking for a face that reminded him of William Browne. FitzGerald sailed far out into the German Ocean, and, just as he had always refused to dress for particular occasions, so, insteading of donning one of the newly fashionable yachting outfits, he would wear an old frock coat and a top hat tied fast. The sole concession he made to the stylish appearance expected of a yachtsman was the long white feather boa which he reportedly liked to sport on deck and which fluttered behind him in the breeze, visible at a good distance." (pp. 203 et. seq.)

C Ring

The C ring is much fainter than the A and B rings and appears to be made of lots of separated, dark, dusty ringlets. The C ring is also known as the "Crepe Ring" because of its relative transparency.

The corresponding passage:

"Not far from Orford, and already tired from my long walk, this notion took possession of me when I was hit by a sandstorm. I was approaching the eastern fringe of Rendlesham Forest, which covers several square miles and was for the most part reduced to broken and splintered timber in the terrible hurricane of the 16th of October 1987." (p. 228)

D Ring

The D ring of Saturn is a very dim fuzz of material and not visible in most photographs. This has an interesting corollary with the final chapter, which relates to the production of silk.

The corresponding passage:

"The silkworms that hatch from the eggs...are enrobed in a black, velvety fur when they enter this world. During their short lives, which last only six or seven weeks, they are overcome by sleep on four occasions and, after shedding their old skin, emerge from each one re-made, always whiter, smoother and larger, becoming more beautiful, and finally almost completely transparent...." (p. 275)