Saturn’s Rings Could Be Younger Than Flowers
We’re lucky that a relatively recent catastrophe created the gas-giant spectacle. The post Saturn’s Rings Could Be Younger Than Flowers appeared first on Nautilus.
When the Cassini spacecraft reached the end of its lifetime orbiting Saturn in 2017, it had been operating well beyond its original four-year mission. Extended for two years, and then for seven, it had observed Saturn, its moons, and its ring system for 13 years before plunging, as instructed, into Saturn’s atmosphere. As it did, it left 13 years of data in our care, with many treasures still lying hidden buried within.
One of the more perplexing questions about Saturn seems like quite a fundamental one—while we can all unanimously agree that the elaborate system of rings surrounding
