Saturn is losing its rings quicker than expected, NASA warns

CNN ^ | December 18, 2018 | Tara John

[EdnaMode]

Saturn's rings make it one of the most striking planets in the solar system, but scientists believe they could disappear in less than a 100 million years -- which isn't all that long when you consider that the gas giant itself is more than 4 billion years old.

New research from NASA shows that the rings, made predominantly of water ice, are being pulled apart by the planet's gravity and onto Saturn's surface as deluges of "ring rain."

"We estimate that this 'ring rain' drains an amount of water products that could fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool from Saturn's rings in half an hour," NASA's James O'Donoghue, lead author of the study, said in a statement.

"From this alone, the entire ring system will be gone in 300 million years, but add to this the Cassini-spacecraft measured ring-material detected falling into Saturn's equator, and the rings have less than 100 million years to live," he added.

[Secret Agent Man]

Climate change. /sarc

[rbg81]

Trump’s fault

[Blood of Tyrants]

Raise taxes on the wealthy countries and give to the UN to divide among the looters.

[Secret Agent Man]

Well saturns rings will still be a viable fuel source and water source for us for a very long time.

[TigersEye]

That will destroy tourism there.
We must spend billions of dollars to maintain Saturn’s ring system in its current pristine condition.

[rktman]

😹😹😹👍🏼. Hemi idling in the driveway helped I hope.

[adorno]

Saturn's rings make it one of the most striking planets in the solar system, but scientists believe they could disappear in less than a 100 million years

That's just one year after Mueller finishes his probe, and 2 years after Hillary finally gives up her dreams of being president.

[tinyowl]

oh no. I guess we need more government.

[lgjhn23]

Man, that’s gotta be all POTUS’s fault....probably for pulling out of the Paris BS.

[Mark17]

As far off as that is, it’s still hundreds of millions of years before the Clintons and Obamas and Comeys and Muellers and Rosensteins and Brennans of the solar system will be brought to justice.

I have to agree with you there, unfortunately.

[reed13k]

I hypothesis it fluctuates with the Suns solar output and/or sunspot activity and it isn’t a near constant rate. S

aturn Global Warming is caused by MAN!

[Dogbert41]

In all my life, I never actually seen them, so I guess in 100 million years, I’ll not really miss them.

[KarlInOhio]

But how does this impact NASA's primary mission of making Muslims feel good about themselves?

[Nailbiter]

NASA warns
Why are we being warned?

The setup to getting taxpayers money

[TonyM]

I guess we will have to conform to a mandated “Ring footprint” or face a tax penalty. I’m sure Algore will figure out a way to make another billion from it.

[Jamestown1630]

I thought it was pretty dramatic.

Are the ring-particles going to rain down and poison us, or something?

[yesthatjallen]

How much money will NASA need to prevent this?

[beethovenfan]

Climate change!!

[butlerweave]

Earth’s Global Warming is far reaching ,LOL

[JennysCool]

It’s CNN.

“Warn” means RATINGS!