Posted on 03/30/2016 3:39:17 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
New research suggests that some of Saturn's icy moons, as well as its famous rings, might be modern adornments. Their dramatic birth may have taken place a mere hundred million years ago, more recent than the reign of many dinosaurs...
While Saturn's rings have been known since the 1600s, there's still debate about their age. The straightforward assumption is that they are primordial -- as old as the planet itself, which is more than four billion years. However, in 2012, French astronomers found that tidal effects -- the gravitational interaction of the inner moons with fluids deep in Saturn's interior -- are causing them to spiral to larger orbital radii comparatively quickly. The implication, given their present positions, is that these moons, and presumably the rings, are recent phenomena...
By comparing present orbital tilts and those predicted by computer simulations, the researchers could learn how much the orbits of Saturn's moons grew. It turns out that, for some of the most important satellites -- Tethys, Dione and Rhea -- the orbits are less dramatically altered than previously thought. The relatively small orbital tilts indicate that they haven't crossed many orbital resonances, meaning that they must have formed not far from where they are now...
According to the team's analysis, these would move the satellite by the small amount indicated by the simulations in only about 100 million years. This would date the formation of the major moons of Saturn, with the exception of more distant Titan and Iapetus, to the relatively recent Cretaceous Period, the era of the dinosaurs.
(Excerpt) Read more at scientificcomputing.com ...
Holy moly. That would mean the rings are temporary, and that even Jupitor may get, then lose, rings. Thats mind boggling.
The last dinosaurs died out 65 million years ago.
Thanks null and void for the link. I had a belly laugh about this having come from the SETI Institute, Sagan must be rolling over in his grave.
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But the first ones appeared 200 million years ago.
Jupiter does have rings.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rings_of_Jupiter
Also, Jupiter’s moons are mostly very small, but those small moons are mostly moving in retrograde orbits, which means, gravitational capture, and eventual kersplat into Jupiter. Most satellites in prograde orbits will, through tidal transfer of momentum, gradually get pushed off off and away.
OK.
Things younger than the dinosaurs.
1. Rap music.
2. The Ford Mustang.
3. Barbara Streisand.
Whoops! Turns out Barbara Streisand is older than the dinosaurs.
Sorry.
;’)
So if we bring the dinosaurs back, they’ll be suspicious because Saturn has rings now. Something won’t look right.
No fair! It’s bad enough that the dinosaurs are extinct, now they’re being called older than the rings of Saturn.
If you want on or off the Electric Universe Ping List, Freepmail me.
WRONG END!
Damn, you guys must be really old to remember that!
"The last dinosaurs died out 65 million years ago."--me
But the first ones appeared 200 million years ago.
But then they should have said "Moons of Saturn May Be Younger Than SOME Dinosaurs...", as opposed to THE Dinosaurs.
Heck. I’m turning sixty in a week. I never was good with ‘rithmetic. Does that mean I die out in five years or five million?
The Ant Nebula.
Well one of the unmentioned goals of Obamacare is to reduce the lifespan to improve the financials of Medicare and SocSec.
Well, it was a good run. Guess I’ll head on down to the funeral palor soon and check if’n maybe they a special going. Been nice knowing y’all. Well, bye.
God bless & rock on!
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