The mystery of Saturn's rings and the terrible truth behind

Unlike the thin rings of dust and rock that hover around Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune, the ring system around Saturn is extremely impressive, and is considered a symbol when about this planet.

Saturn has a very distinct and distinctive ring.

However, the truth behind this belt is something that not everyone expected. It even scares some people, because it could happen to the Earth.

According to new research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA, this beautiful appearance may be the result of an extremely powerful collision between Saturn and Chrysalis - its hypothetical Moon.

This conclusion comes after the team conducted hundreds of simulations, with each simulation having different starting conditions.

According to the proposed scenario, about 160 million years ago, Chrysalis's orbit became unstable, causing its rotation to shift closer to the host planet.

Here, Saturn's gravity pulled its natural satellite back, and eventually led to a massive collision.

However, everything from Chrysalis is not lost. Scientists think that most of its matter is still hanging around the orbit, and has long formed the rings of the planet.

Everything from Chrysalis is not lost, but its matter has long formed the rings of the planet.

This violent encounter may also have pushed Saturn out of resonance, reducing the tilt of the axis, leading to existing resonances with Neptune.

According to Jack Wisdom, an astronomer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who led the study, this scenario is suggested because it explains in detail all of Saturn's unusual properties, such as: axial tilt, orbital rotation, and even the rings of "giant planets".

"We suggest that Saturn once had a satellite, temporarily called Chrysalis. This system used to be stable for a long time. But over time, its moon escaped from the stellar resonance. Earth, and there was a strong impact, causing it to shatter, creating the belts like today," Wisdom summed up.

"It's a hypothesis we believe in," Wisdom said, "but like any other outcome, it will need to be considered for feasibility."

This proposed assumption can make many people feel "shaky", when thinking about the Earth and the Moon. However, in reality, the Moon is moving away from the Earth at an average rate of 4 cm per year.

The study by Jack Wisdom and colleagues is published in the journal Science.