Explaining Saturns Ring - Essay Example

Saturn’s rings consist of ice and rock fragments, which are drawn closer to the surface by Saturn’s gravitational pull (Hetcht 18).

For many years astronomers have believed that Saturn’s rings were created when a comet or moon that was approximately 200 km across was crushed by an impact close to the surface of the planet. A mass of debris was formed hence making up the ring (Hetcht 18).

In 1852, Otto Struve discovered that there were changes in the width of the ring and there was a continuous decrease in the gap between the edge of inner ring B and the surface of the planet. The rings were approaching the surface of the planet rapidly. According to modern scientists, the deteriorating nature of rings is attributed to rains of microscopic meteorites that pelt the rings thus eroding them rapidly (Hetcht 19).

Modern astronomers believe that Saturn's rings contain water that evaporates from their surfaces when the micrometeorites hit them. Natural water molecules fall back on the rings while charged ions move along the magnetic field lines formed near the surface of the rings. As a result, there is a presence of water precipitate adjacent to the rings. The scientific explanation behind the water molecules and their ionization shows that there are real meteorites that strike the rings causing the ionization of water particles.