What are the Rings of Saturn?
Why are the rings parallel?
A centrifugal force causes the planet to be slightly oblate. This results in there being more mass towards the equator than the poles and subsequently, a greater gravitational force in this area (Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation). In the case of Saturn and its rings: 'G' is constant 'M1 is constant' 'r' is constant Therefore, 'F' is proportional to 'm2'. For this reason, the material orbiting Saturn is pulled towards the equator, forming the parallel rings.
What are the rings of Saturn made of?
The rings of Saturn are clustered chunks of ice, rock, and dust (but mostly ice) that orbit the planet. They range n size from as small as a grain of sand to as large as tall buildings. These chunks orbit Saturn in parallel rings. Each section of the rings orbits Saturn at a different speed.
How/when did the rings get there?
There are two main theories that might explain this: 1. Sometime in the solar system's recent history, there was an event where either two moons collided with one another, or a comet crashed into a moon and shattered it, leaving the rings as remnants of the event. 2. The rings are being constantly replenished somehow. It has been found that one of Saturn's rings, named the 'E-Ring', is being replenished by the moon Enceladus via geysers at the southern pole that spew out water and ice into space.
