Saturn's rings are young and fleeting

data from the space probe "Cassini" show that the rings of Saturn are a rather young phenomenon - is likely to disappear again.

The Saturn didn't always have its characteristic rings: The discs are probably only ten to 100 million years old. The researchers close to Luciano Iess of the University of Rome, from the analysis of the last flight data from the Saturn probe, Cassini. They present their analysis in the US journal Science.

The probe of US space Agency Nasa was dived through in the fall of 2017 at the end of their Mission 22 Times between Saturn and its rings. From Cassinis radio signals, the researchers were able to reconstruct the flight path exactly, as the work involved in the University of California, Berkeley, explained in a message. In this way, the rings are made up of a collection of different sized ice particles, their Gravity weigh-in. You have, therefore, only 40 percent of the mass of the small Saturnmonds Mimas, which, in turn, is 2000 Times smaller than the earth's moon.

The rings disappear again

From previous studies it is known that mass and age must be related to the Saturn rings to each other directly. The relatively small mass means that the rings are still made be young and not more than about 100 million years ago, possibly even as recently as ten million years. This is contrary to the assumption that you are already incurred together with Saturn 4.5 billion years ago.

the origin of the apparently young, Saturn's rings, the study makes no statement. However, you will remain a temporary jewelry: A further analysis of Cassini data, rain your ice particles in greater quantity on Saturn down as accepted. The rings will be gone in less than 100 million years ago, another Team of Nasa researchers James O'had reported Donoghue recently in the Journal Icarus. On the cosmic time scale, you are only a fleeting appearance.