New Delhi, India
Scientists believed that Saturn did not always have rings and they had been created more than 100 to 400 million years ago.
Now in a new study, researchers from the French National Centre for Scientific Research and the Institute of Science Tokyo have found that the rings of Saturn may not have been ancient but as old as the Solar System.
"Data from the Cassini spacecraft suggested the rings might be young because they appear so clean, and many people simply accepted that conclusion. However, our theoretical work now shows that a clean appearance does not necessarily mean the rings are young," said planetary scientist Ryuki Hyodo of the Institute of Science Tokyo, while speaking to ScienceAlert.
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"So, I think this is an important insight for guiding future planetary exploration missions; you better not be fooled by its first glance," he added.
Saturn and its rings
In the Solar System, other giant planets also have rings, but they are not as majestic as that of Saturn.
The ethereal rings are present around Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune, however, they are not visible till seen from the right wavelengths.
However, in the case of Saturn, its extensive rings define the planet. There is a high possibility that the rings could be a common phenomenon outside the Solar System because there are a large number of gas giant exoplanets present in the universe.
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If the rings of Saturn are relatively short-lived, they will last only a few hundred million years before they collapse.
However, if the rings of Saturn exist for a longer duration, they will not have any implications on the Solar System.
Scientists had assumed that the age of Saturn's rings is less on the basis of the absence of dust because of high-speed meteoroids' constant bombardment which slammed the ice and converted them to rings.
(With inputs from agencies)