An unusual concentration of impact craters suggests that they may have been caused by the breakup of an asteroid that created a temporary debris ring around Earth.
planetary rings
Posted inNews
Las estrellas lejanas resaltan minilunas en los anillos de Saturno
Al estudiar cómo la luz de las estrellas se atenúa al viajar a través de las partículas de hielo que rodean a Saturno, investigadores han hecho foco en muchas estructuras pequeñas en los famosos anillos del gigante gaseoso.
Posted inNews
Distant Stars Spotlight Mini Moons in Saturn’s Rings
By studying how starlight attenuates as it travels through the icy particles encircling Saturn, researchers have zoomed in on a host of small structures in the gas giant’s famous rings.
Posted inNews
Saturn’s Shiny Rings May Be Pretty Young
The rings are fairly shiny despite being bombarded by dust, indicating that they haven’t been around for very long.
Posted inNews
Quaoar’s Ring Defies Gravity
The dwarf planet’s ring makes astronomers question whether a long-held theory about ring and moon formation needs tweaking.
Posted inNews
Mercury Isn’t Alone in Orbit, and Scientists Don’t Know Why
A cloud of dust traces the innermost planet’s orbital path. By all accounts, it shouldn’t be there.
Posted inNews
Long-Gone Moon Could Explain Birth of Saturn’s Rings
Named Chrysalis, the moon could have disintegrated during a close encounter with the gas giant roughly 100 million years ago.
Posted inNews
Can Uranus’s Rings Reveal the Planet’s Deepest Secrets?
Planetary rings can act as seismometers that respond to changes deep within a planet.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Using Saturn’s Rings as a Seismometer
The Cassini spacecraft observed spiral density waves in the rings of Saturn which can be used to probe its interior structure and rotation.