Why in the News?

A new study has challenged previous assumptions, suggesting that Saturn’s rings could be as old as the Solar System (~4.5 billion years old).

New study challenges the age of Saturn’s Rings

About Saturn and Its Rings

Saturn, the sixth planet from the Sun, is famous for its iconic ring system, made up of billions of ice and rock particles ranging in size from tiny grains to massive chunks.
It is primarily composed of water ice (95%), with some dust and rocky debris.
The rings are divided into seven main sections (A to G), with gaps like the Cassini Division.
Scientists have debated whether the rings formed with Saturn (~4.5 billion years ago) or if they are only 100-400 million years old.
Over time, tiny space rocks should darken the rings, yet they remain surprisingly bright.

Earlier estimates, based on Cassini data, suggested the rings were 100-400 million years old because they looked clean and bright.
The new study suggests that micrometeoroid collisions remove dust efficiently, preventing the rings from darkening over time.
High-speed micrometeoroid impacts (~108,000 km/h) cause dust to vaporize, rather than accumulate.
The vaporized dust either escapes Saturn’s gravity, falls into the planet’s atmosphere, or gets ejected into space, keeping the rings pristine.
100 million years ago, the Solar System was stable, making ring formation unlikely.
4 billion years ago, the Solar System was chaotic, increasing the chances of violent planetary collisions that could have formed Saturn’s rings.

Saturn has been explored by multiple spacecraft, each providing valuable insights into its rings, atmosphere, and moons.

1. Pioneer 11 (1979)

2. Voyager 1 & Voyager 2 (1980-1981)

3. Cassini-Huygens (1997-2017)

- Confirmed liquid oceans on Enceladus.
- Found methane lakes on Titan.
- Observed Saturn’s rings losing material into the planet’s atmosphere.

[2009] Which one of the following planets has largest number of natural satellites or moons?

(a) Jupiter
(b) Mars
(c) Saturn
(d) Venus