Saturn’s rings are one of the most mesmerizing sights in our solar system, yet they won’t last forever. Scientists have long known that its icy rings are slowly sinking into its upper atmosphere – this process is known as “ring rain”, and every second enough water evaporates from these particles to fill an Olympic-sized swimming…
Astronomers have known since the 1980s that Saturn’s iconic rings have been diminishing rapidly since they appeared over 400 million years ago. Scientists estimate that at their current rate of decline, one swimming pool worth of water could fall onto Saturn every 30 seconds – rendering its iconic rings nearly extinct within 300 million years!…
Astronomers have long known that Saturn’s iconic rings are gradually dissolving, potentially within 100 million years. Recent research based on data collected by NASA’s Cassini probe indicates this trend is occurring even faster than predicted. What happens if Saturn loses its rings? What are the rings made of? Saturn’s rings are composed of rock, ice…
