"We suspect that when the rings are edge-on with the sun, the ring rain will slow down, and when they are tilted to face the sun, the ring rain influx will increase," James O'Donoghue, who's leading the mission, told .Īstronomers believe that measuring emissions from a specific hydrogen molecule in Saturn's upper atmosphere would take us closer to the answers we need. This tilt determines how the Sun's radiation affects the ring particles as well as the ‘ring rain’ on the planet. These variations are subject to Saturn's 29.5-year orbit and its tilt towards the Sun. While the rings could disappear as quickly as 100 million years, it is also possible for Saturn to hold on to their glory for another 1.1 billion years. This may seem like a long time, but it translates to a relatively quick death in cosmic reality.īut astronomers caution that nothing is certain, as the rate of the ring loss is yet to be truly estimated.
In fact, NASA's Cassini Spacecraft found anywhere between 400 to 2,800 kg of icy rain pelting Saturn every second.Īt this rate, these rings may fade away in about 300 million years. Previous research has shown massive amounts of ring debris falling onto the planet and heating its atmosphere. Estimating the actual intensity of Saturn's ‘ring rain’ These observations will be made during an entire season on Saturn, which is equivalent to about seven years on Earth. To better understand just how fast the rings are disappearing, scientists have roped in NASA's incredible James Webb Space Telescope and Hawaii's Keck Observatory to carry out long-term observations of the 'ring rain' phenomenon. So powerful is this gravitational pull, that bits and pieces of these icy rings raining down on the planet can fill up an Olympic-sized swimming pool every day!
They may appear fixed from Earth, but astronomers have long known that Saturn's innermost rings erode into its upper atmosphere due to the planet's intense gravity.
But what if we told you those spectacular rings may soon become a thing of the past? If we had to list down some of the most striking features of our solar system, the iconic ring systems around certain planets - especially the glorious Saturn - would most definitely make it to the top.
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