Saturn’s beautiful rings disappear for brief periods every 29.5 years due to the planet’s axial tilt. Saturn’s inner rings are rapidly dissolving at an alarmingly rapid rate, so much so that an Olympic-sized pool rains down on its upper atmosphere every 30 minutes. Astronomers have noted this trend since the 1980s; unfortunately it’s causing the…
Saturn boasts several large and small moons, the largest being Titan, which is slightly bigger than Mercury and offers researchers insights into Earth’s early formation. Astronomers have known since the 1980s that Saturn’s iconic rings are gradually dissolving, though no exact timeline or rate were available to them. The Rings Astronomers have long noted the…
Anybody with access to a backyard telescope or binoculars can view Saturn’s magnificent rings, but soon these iconic features will fade from view temporarily over the coming months. Saturn’s orbit around the sun puts it at an angle, hiding its rings temporarily from view. Don’t worry though; when its path returns to normal they will…
NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has been studying Saturn’s rings and moons for 13 years, and recently released findings provide insight into their formation, evolution, and how they change over time. New research suggests the rings may be much younger than scientists previously assumed, based on an association between mass of rings and how quickly they become…
Saturn’s icy rings won’t disappear any time soon, even though they might become harder to see for some time due to an event known as “ring plane crossing”. Once every 13 to 16 years, Saturn’s ring plane passes close enough to Earth that their presence becomes difficult for us to discern from Earth’s perspective –…
Saturn’s rings have long been an object of fascination. Viewed straight on, their thin outlines can be seen. Earth passes through the plane of Saturn’s rings every 13 to 15 years and views them edge-on at one of Saturn’s equinoxes, providing us a rare view. It doesn’t signify an impending disaster for our planet, but…
Saturn’s rings have long held a special place in our imaginations, but our view may soon become restricted by atmospheric obstructions. NASA’s Cassini probe has unveiled surprising evidence indicating that Saturn’s rings may not have endured nearly as long as previously thought. The Age of the Rings Astronomers have long speculated on how Saturn’s rings…
The probe’s instruments would investigate Saturn’s temperature field, clouds and composition as well as Titan’s thick haze using radar technology and sampling its rings system. Cassini revolutionized our understanding of Saturn. Her discoveries revolutionized how we perceive this system. Although her mission ended abruptly when she fell into Saturn’s atmosphere in 2017, but not before…
Saturn boasts seven rings, which consist of icy chunks encircling it. They’re named alphabetically from A to G and average only 30 feet or meters high on average. Saturn and its moons exert gravitational pull that creates patterns known as bending waves or spiral density waves in its rings, whereby bands move closer or further…
