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Origin of Saturn’s rings and inner moons by mass removal from a lost Titan-sized satellite

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  • Robin M. Canup

    (Planetary Science Directorate, Southwest Research Institute, 1050 Walnut Street, Suite 300, Boulder, Colorado 80302, USA)

Abstract

The formation of Saturn's watery rings Previous theories developed to explain the origins of Saturn's rings — based on collisional disruption of a small moon or tidal disruption of a passing comet — have failed to account for the basic properties of the rings, including their icy composition. Robin Canup proposes a new model in which the rings were formed by the action of planetary tidal forces on a large moon as it migrated inwards, stripping away its icy outer layer and leaving a rocky core that was eventually lost to collision with the planet. The result would be a massive ring made of pure ice, which has since evolved through collisions with meteoroids to produce the rings we see today, which are 90–95% water ice.

Suggested Citation

  • Robin M. Canup, 2010. "Origin of Saturn’s rings and inner moons by mass removal from a lost Titan-sized satellite," Nature, Nature, vol. 468(7326), pages 943-946, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:468:y:2010:i:7326:d:10.1038_nature09661
    DOI: 10.1038/nature09661
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