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Q:
Is there more energy coming out of Saturn's rings than the sun provides? Probably less, as with Saturn itself or Jupiter?
A:
Less energy is emitted from the rings than is
absorbed by them from the Sun's rays. This is actually always the
case, as no astrophysical object is a perfect emitter. In physics
terms, an object that absorbs all the radiation that hits it and then
sends the radiation out again is called a "blackbody." Even though no
real object is a perfect absorber/emitter, objects such as the Sun are
quite close to perfect and are treated like blackbodies in calculations
and computer simulations.
For more information on the Sun and its interaction with the planets,
please see our Chandra Field Guide to the Solar System, here:
http://chandra.harvard.edu/xray_sources/solar_system.html
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