Saturn's rings probably date back billions of years and could likely be around forever although they are continually changing, according to a new study published this week.
Data collected by the Voyager spacecraft in the 1970s and later the Hubble telescope originally led scientists to think the planet's famous rings were relatively young in cosmic terms and possibly created by a comet that smashed into a large moon.
But new data collected by the Cassini probe suggests that rather than being formed some 100 million years ago, the rings were probably formed as the solar system was being built about 4.5 billion years ago.
You know, I never liked that earlier idea that the rings were young. WTF? I thought. This makes so much more sense.
Studies show that the ages of the rings differ significantly, and that the matter inside the rings is constantly changing.
"The evidence is consistent with the picture that Saturn has had rings all through its history," added the professor from the University of Colorado.
Previously scientists believed that if the rings were as old as Saturn, they should be darker due to collecting cosmic pollution such as meteorite dust.
But the observations from Cassini showed that there appeared to be a gigantic churning mass of ice and rock, which could explain why the rings appear quite bright when seen through telescopes on the ground.
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Don't these secular scientists realize that the rings of Saturn were created about 6000 years ago. I think it was included in separating the land from the water.
Dang, another way in which 2001 goes out of date.