Study reveals when Saturn's rings will disappear forever

Saturn seems to lose its distinctive rings in the worst case scenario, based on observations of "Voyager 1 & 2" collected several decades ago.

The rings are attracted to Saturn by gravity, in the form of a dusty rain from the ice particles under the influence of the planet's magnetic field.

Experts say the rings could only stay 100 million years.

"We are aware that this ring of rain drains in half an hour the amount of aquatic products that can fill an Olympic pool the size of Saturn," said James Odonogo of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. . .

The rings of Saturn are often parts of water ice, ranging from microscopic dust to several rocks on the other side.

The new study, published in the journal Icarus, revealed that the episodes are in mid-life, indicating that they are unlikely to last more than 100 million years.

The microparticles can be electrically charged into rings, under the action of ultraviolet rays of the sun or plasmas drawn from meteorites.

In some parts of the rings, when displaced, the equilibrium of forces changes radically with respect to these small particles, attracted by the gravity of Saturn along the lines of the magnetic field that are moving towards the upper atmosphere.

The ice ring particles evaporate and the water can react chemically to the ionosphere of the planet Saturn.

One of the results of these reactions is to increase the life of electrically charged molecules, called H3 + ions, composed of 3 protons and 2 electrons.

When the sun shines, H3 + ions shine in infrared light, observed by the research team with the help of special instruments installed on the Keck telescope in Mauna Kia, Hawaii.

Source: Daily Mail