Saturn is losing its iconic rings but why
Saturn's ring system has long enthralled astronomers but the iconic rings are in danger. Saturn's rings, which are thought to be huge chunks of ice, are steadily falling onto the planet as icy rain due to its powerful gravitational forces. How fast the rings are shrinking and how much time is left before the rings vanish, that's something we don't know for sure.
Saturn's innermost rings are steadily dropping onto its upper atmosphere
For quite some time now, since the 1980s, astronomers have known that Saturn's innermost rings are steadily dropping onto the planet's upper atmosphere. Observations from NASA's Cassini mission—which probed Saturn and its ring system—have revealed that somewhere between 400kg to 2,800kg of icy rain is pouring down onto the planet every second and is heating its upper atmosphere.
Scientists don't know how fast the rings are eroding
"We're still trying to figure out exactly how fast they are eroding," said James O'Donoghue, who is leading the research. The current research suggests that Saturn's rings will be around "for another few hundred million years." "This may sound like a long time, but in the history of the universe this is a relatively quick death," said O'Donoghue.
The rings extend up to 282,000km from Saturn
Saturn has seven rings, named alphabetically. The main rings are A, B, and C. The other four rings—D, E, F, and G—are fainter and more recently discovered. The rings lie close to each other except for a gap that measures roughly 4,700 kilometers wide, called the Cassini Division which separates rings A and B The rings extend up to 282,000km from the planet.
Saturn's rings could be about 100 million years old
As opposed to the long-standing theory, rings have not been a permanent feature of Saturn. Experts believe that the planet's iconic rings are about 100 million years old. For reference, our solar system is estimated to have formed 4.5 billion years ago.
What are the rings made up of?
Saturn's rings are believed to be made up of chunks of comets, asteroids, or shattered moons, ripped apart by the planet's strong gravitational forces. The rings are made of "billions of small chunks of ice and rock coated with other materials such as dust," according to NASA. "The ring particles mostly range from tiny, dust-sized icy grains to chunks as big as a house."
Astronomers have turned to the Webb telescope for further observations
Now, scientists have turned to the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to help determine the lifetime of Saturn's iconic rings. The powerful Webb telescope will work along with the Keck Observatory in Hawaii, on a long-term observation campaign, to probe the planet.
