Did Earth Once Have a Ring Like Saturn? Geologists Find Evidence for a Halo of Orbiting Space Rocks 466 Million Years Ago
A ring could explain a mysterious arrangement of impact craters near the equator and might even have caused an ice age, according to a new study
Earth once wore a Saturn-like ring, study of ancient craters suggests
Earth may have had a giant ring of space rocks surrounding it, similar to those around Saturn, which could have led to chaotic meteorite strikes on our planet's surface, new research suggests. The hypothesized ring may have formed roughly 466 million years ago and was the remains of a gigantic asteroid tugged apart by Earth's tidal forces after passing our planet's Roche limit.
Earth May Have Had a Ring Like Saturn Once
“Over millions of years, material from this ring gradually fell to Earth, creating the spike in meteorite impacts observed in the geological record,” said Tomkins in a statement that accompanied the paper’s release. “We … see that layers in sedimentary rocks from this period contain extraordinary amounts of meteorite debris.”
Earth had Saturn-like rings 466 million years ago, new study suggests
Earth may have sported a Saturn-like ring system 466 million years ago, after it captured and wrecked a passing asteroid, a new study suggests. The debris ring, which likely lasted tens of millions of years, may have led to global cooling and even contributed to the coldest period on Earth in the past 500 million years.
Earth May Have Once Had a Saturn-Like Ring, New Study Says
The new study asserts that Earth's ring formed around 466 million years ago, and stuck around for around 40 million years before dissipating. Researchers say that the existence of such a ring would help solve several puzzles from Earth's past and that much of the data they collected supports its existence.
Earth may once have had a planetary ring
C ould Earth once have had a planetary ring like the ones around Saturn? Scientists from Monash University in Australia think so. In a recent paper they identify 450m-year-old craters that lie close to Earth’s historical equator.
Earth may once have had Saturn-like ring, scientists say
Earth may briefly have had a ring system similar to Saturn’s over 450 million years ago during a period of unusually intense meteorite bombardment, a new study proposes. Scientists assessed 21 asteroid craters from the “Ordovician impact spike” period 466 million years ago and noticed that these were strangely located in a narrow band of land close to the equator,
Scientists unveil theory: Earth once had Saturn-like rings
Scientists have concluded that the Earth may have had a ring system similar to Saturn's based on the analysis of the location of craters on our planet. Scientists claim that over 450 million years ago,
Live Science2d
Earth from space: Ghostly figure emerges in Greenland ice after underground lake collapses
In 2011, a ghostly depression, known as "the mitten," appeared on the surface of and ice sheet in Greenland after the ...
Earth to gain second moon for two months this fall
For 57 days, our planet will have two moons as the 2024 PT5 asteroid gets caught in Earth’s gravity and whirled around in our ...
Science Friday7d
Down To Earth: Space Science For Community Change
Down To Earth Community Lab: Join your fellow space explorers to ask questions, share out-of-this-world ideas, and forge new ...
Ever-Growing USA on MSN15h
Natural Graphene Discovered in Lunar Samples by Chinese Scientists: A Breakthrough for Space and Earth Technology
Chinese scientists have discovered a remarkable material in lunar samples brought back by the Chang'e 5 mission. This finding ...
Plane snaps rare footage of a spacecraft reentering Earth from space
The European Space Agency sent a plane to capture footage of the first of four Cluster mission satellites reentering Earth's ...
NASA2d
Celebrating the First Earth Day Event at NASA Headquarters
Introduction Organized by the Science Mission Directorate’s Science Support Office (SSO), NASA hosted its 12th annual Earth ...