Saturn is the 6th planet from the sun. Famed for its beautiful and distinct rings, it is also known for being the second largest planet in our Solar System, just behind Jupiter. Scientists recently observed a number of small meteoroids crashing into the planet’s rings, which are made up of 9 continuous rings and 3 additional arcs. With the help of NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, researchers were able to capture images of the impact.
Occurrences like these help teach scientists more about how things move, interact, and are created in space. Although these types of impacts do take place from time to time, the significance of this crash is that it was large enough to crate clouds that were visible from spacecraft cameras. Eventually, these smaller meteoroids break up into even smaller particles and will sometimes begin to orbit around the planet.
Originally discovered by Galileo, Saturn’s Rings are already made up of an array of varied particles. Although the rings remain somewhat of a mystery to scientists, they have been able to gain insight into the planet from the Voyager trips in the 1980s and this latest Cassini Mission.
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