In the months ahead, Saturn's rings will become thinner and thinner until, on Sept. 4, 2009, they vanish. New NASA research confirms that Saturn is losing its iconic rings at the maximum rate estimated from Voyager 1 and 2 observations made decades ago. The ring particles mostly range from tiny, dust-sized icy grains to chunks as big as a house. The movement of waves in Saturn's rings offers clues to activity and conditions within the planet. Will Saturn lose its rings? Saturn's rings are thought to be pieces of comets, asteroids or shattered moons that broke up before they reached the planet, torn apart by Saturn's powerful gravity. Shares .

Saturn is losing its rings.

Saturn's rings make it one of the most striking planets in the solar system, but scientists believe they could disappear in less than a 100 million years.
; New data from NASA's former Cassini spacecraft has revealed that the rings will be gone 200 million years sooner than previously estimated. As Saturn goes around the sun, it periodically turns its rings edge-on to Earth—once every 14-to-15 years. The rings are being pulled into Saturn by gravity as a dusty rain of ice particles under the influence of Saturn’s magnetic field.

Saturn’s rings are one of the solar system’s most recognizable features, but a new study shows that the planet is losing its famous accessories — and faster than anyone realized. Two NASA space probes—Voyager 1 and Voyager 2—have played pivotal roles in confirming as much. Saturn's Rings Are Beautiful, But They Won't Last. The process is temporary and as the orbit continues the rings will once again appear, just as slowly as … They are made of billions of small chunks of ice and rock coated with another material such as dust. Shares. Chances are, you wouldn't recognize Saturn without its trademark thick band of rings.

This process will continue as Saturn moves through its orbit until the rings are completely invisible to any of us on earth. That is unlikely . New NASA research confirms that Saturn is losing its iconic rings at the maximum rate estimated from Voyager 1 & 2 observations made decades ago. Something Strange Is Happening Inside Saturn. because we are located so far out on an arm of our galaxy. By Meghan Bartels 18 December 2018. No, not unless some huge galactic event occurs. In addition, the probes also revealed that Saturn was slowly losing its rings, at a rate that would see them gone in about 100 million years. Because the rings are so thin, they can actually disappear when viewed through a small telescope. Since Saturn has its own orbit around the sun, occasionally the orbit takes it to a location where the planet seems to tip just enough so that the rings slowly seem to be disappearing. Wiki User 2011-06-27 20:02:20. Saturn is losing its iconic rings at the 'worst case scenario' rate, estimated from Voyager 1 & 2 observations made decades ago. By Sarah Lewin 29 September 2015. "The rings are a seismograph," says Mark Marley of NASA Ames Research Center, who in 1990 earned his doctorate for predicting that Saturn's oscillations would affect its C ring. Saturn, the jewel of Earth’s celestial neighbors, is losing its rings. That's the conclusion of a new investigation into a phenomenon called "ring rain," which pulls water out of Saturn's rings and into the planet's midlatitude regions. New NASA research confirms that Saturn is losing its iconic rings at the maximum rate estimated from Voyager 1 & 2 observations made decades ago.