New simulations shed light on origins of Saturn's rings and icy moons
Published: 26 October 2023
A new series of supercomputer simulations has offered an answer to the mystery of the origins of Saturn’s rings - one that involves a massive collision in the recent history of the 4.5 billion-year-old Solar System. According to new research involving NASA and Durham and Glasgow universities, Saturn’s rings could have evolved from the debris of two progenitor icy moons that collided and shattered only a few hundred million years ago.