The rings of Saturn were younger than the dinosaurs

It is assumed that their age can range from 10 to 100 million years.

Astronomers who analyzed the Cassini apparatus data collected during the mission's final were able to give new estimates of the mass and age of the much younger Saturn rings. . than previously thought. An article published in the journal Science indicates that their age may range from 10 to 100 million years, reports Ukr.Media .

The age of the rings of Saturn is one of the most discussed problems in planetology. According to one version, they formed with the planet 4.5 billion years ago from fragments of ice, the other much later, when Saturn captured and destroyed a large comet, a Centaur or several companions of ice. Different methods are used to determine the age of the rings, depending on the evolution of the structures in the rings, characteristics of the small satellite motion and the hypothesis that the surface of the icy particles forming the ring darkens over time

All of these methods depend directly or indirectly on mass values. rings, whose ratings also vary. It was previously thought that the total mass of rings was 2.8 x 1019 kilograms, or 0.75 masses of Saturn Mimas satellite. This estimate was based on the observation of density waves in rings A and B, which used the Voyager series in 1980-1981. However, this assessment being questionable, it has been speculated that in optically opaque parts of the ring, a much larger unmasked mass may be concealed.

In a new article, a group of astronomers led by Luciano Ayess presented the results of an analysis of the data collected by the Cassini automatic station at its diving into the gap between the ring and the planet at the end of its mission in September 2017. A new estimate of the mass of the rings is based on the change of the trajectory of the aircraft by the gravitational field of the planet, as well as taking into account the deep atmospheric currents on Saturn. The total mass of rings is (1.54 ± 0.49) × 1019 kilograms (or about 0.41 masses of the Mimas satellite) and they could be formed 107 to 108 years ago. This estimate is in agreement with the results of Cassini observations by the density waves in the rings.

The results of analysis of the fraction of non-icy rings, which give age estimates of rings A and B in 80-150 and 30-100 million, are also attributed at similar numbers. years, respectively. Be that as it may, the results indicate the recent origin of Saturn's ring system, whatever the mechanism of their formation, and will help to verify the existing patterns of their evolution.

Thanks to Cassini, scientists received detailed data on Saturn and its huge and amazing rings. could have an extraterrestrial life, hexagonal storms floating on the gas giant and many other things.