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The second hypothesis is that the rings were never part of a moon, but are instead left over from the original nebular material from which Saturn formed. [citation needed] A 2007 artist's impression of the aggregates of icy particles that form the 'solid' portions of Saturn's rings. These elongated clumps are continually forming and dispersing.
Saturn and its rings are best seen when the planet is at, or near, opposition, the configuration of a planet when it is at an elongation of 180°, and thus appears opposite the Sun in the sky. A Saturnian opposition occurs every year—approximately every 378 days—and results in the planet appearing at its brightest.
Fainter planetary rings can form as a result of meteoroid impacts with moons orbiting around the planet or, in the case of Saturn's E-ring, the ejecta of cryovolcanic material. [ 6 ] [ 7 ] Ring systems may form around centaurs when they are tidally disrupted in a close encounter (within 0.4 to 0.8 times the Roche limit ) with a giant planet.
The ring would have formed along the equator due to Earth’s equatorial bulge, similar to how the rings of Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune are also around each of those planets’ equatorial ...
Ring particles modifying Saturn’s upper atmosphere, changing its composition, scientists say. Skip to main content. Sign in. Mail. 24/7 Help. For premium support please call: 800-290-4726 more ...
At its north and south poles, Saturn has peculiar hexagon-shaped storms larger than the diameter of Earth. Saturn has a magnetosphere capable of producing weak auroras. As of 2024, Saturn has 146 confirmed satellites, grouped into: Ring moonlets and shepherds, which orbit inside or close to Saturn's rings
The unusual image was taken by a camera on the Cassini spacecraft on April 8, 2016, at a distance of about 1.4 million miles away from Saturn. NASA spots mysterious activity in Saturn's F Ring ...
The mosaic was also presented by Carolyn Porco, and dedicated to the late astronomer Carl Sagan, at a ceremony at the Library of Congress in honor of its acquisition of Sagan's papers. [21] In addition, a collage of images submitted by 1,600 members of the public to NASA's Wave at Saturn campaign was released on November 12. [22]