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How old are Saturn Rings? The Rings are Younger then Planet itself

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Published on: May 15, 2023,

Saturn is a planet in Milky Way galaxy and presence of rings around makes it unique. CU Boulder study reveals that Saturn’s rings are much younger than the planet itself at around 400 million years old but the origin remains a mystery. As per new study Saturn’s rings are likely to be 400 million years old which is much younger than the planet itself which is 4.5 billion years old. The study was done analyzing dust accumulation on the rings using data from the Cosmic Dust Analyzer aboard NASA’s Cassini spacecraft concluding that the rings have been gathering dust for only a few hundred million years. But the origin of Saturn’s rings remains unknown and previous research suggest they might be gradually vanishing due to ice raining down onto the planet.

 

As per new study by physicist Sascha Kempf from the University of Colorado at Boulder has delivered evidence that the rings are remarkable young. Kempf explained tiny grains of rocky material wash through Earth’s solar system on an almost constant basis. This flux can leave behind a thin layer of dust on planetary bodies including on the ice that makes up Saturn’s rings. The formation of rings may have become like carpet in your house when you left it out and dust settles on your carpet.

 

These translucent rings have captivated researchers for more than 400 years old. At first Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei observed the features through a telescope. Today after a lot of research Scientists have found the ring with chunks of ice no bigger than a boulder on Earth.  The rings are old but there is enigma exactly how the rings were formed.

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