Washington, May 23 (Ians) Saturn’s rings are both young and ephemeral, which means that it may not be long when the beautiful rings may not be there, NASA scientists confirmed in three studies.
The research by scientists at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley examined data from NASA’s Cassini mission.
They looked at the mass of Saturn’s rings, their “purity”, how quickly incoming debris is added, and how that influences the way the rings change over time. The Cassini mission discovered that the rings are losing mass quickly, as material from the innermost regions falls into the planet.
The rings are almost entirely pure ice. Less than a few per cent of their mass is non-icy “pollution” coming from micrometeoroids, such as asteroid fragments smaller than a grain of sand. These constantly collide with the ring particles and contribute debris to the material circling the planet.
The research by scientists at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley examined data from NASA’s Cassini mission.
They looked at the mass of Saturn’s rings, their “purity”, how quickly incoming debris is added, and how that influences the way the rings change over time. The Cassini mission discovered that the rings are losing mass quickly, as material from the innermost regions falls into the planet.
The rings are almost entirely pure ice. Less than a few per cent of their mass is non-icy “pollution” coming from micrometeoroids, such as asteroid fragments smaller than a grain of sand. These constantly collide with the ring particles and contribute debris to the material circling the planet.
- 5/23/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.