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Slatiebartfarce
how do planetary rings form? how do they move? what are some theories?
Originally posted by Ambitwistor
As for how they move, it's mainly just orbital motion due to gravity,
Originally posted by Phobos
And it's possible that Earth once had a ring system (that later formed the moon).
from http://www.psrd.hawaii.edu/Dec98/OriginEarthMoon.html
A giant impact would lead to a ring of very hot debris in orbit around the young Earth. Calculations indicate that the Moon could have formed from that debris in ten years or less!
Originally posted by FZ+
What made Earth's ring coallesce into a moon so quickly, and makes the rings of saturn etc remain seemingly so stable?
Originally posted by FZ+
This raises a question:
What made Earth's ring coallesce into a moon so quickly, and makes the rings of saturn etc remain seemingly so stable?
Originally posted by FZ+
But the questions continue... how did the debris field from the proposed object/earth collision get outside the roche limit? Surely some would have ended up within it, leaving Earth still with some remnants of this dust ring?
Now here are some really good questions!Originally posted by FZ+
But the questions continue... how did the debris field from the proposed object/earth collision get outside the roche limit? Surely some would have ended up within it, leaving Earth still with some remnants of this dust ring?
Or is Earth's roche limit simply too small?
Planetary rings are vast, flat disks of dust, rock, and ice particles that orbit around a planet. They are most commonly found around the four gas giant planets in our solar system: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
The exact formation of planetary rings is still a mystery, but there are several theories. One theory suggests that they formed from material left over from the formation of the planet itself. Another theory proposes that they are the remnants of a moon that was torn apart by the planet's gravity.
The movement of planetary rings is primarily influenced by the planet's gravity. The particles in the rings are constantly pulled towards the planet, but their orbital velocity keeps them in a stable orbit. Other factors such as collisions between particles and the influence of nearby moons can also affect the movement of the rings.
Yes, there are different types of planetary rings depending on the composition of the particles. For example, Saturn's rings are mostly made of ice particles, while Jupiter's rings consist of mostly dust and rock. There are also differences in the density, thickness, and structure of the rings.
There are a few reasons why some planets have rings while others don't. The first is the distance from the sun - the four gas giant planets in our solar system are far enough away from the sun that they were able to retain their rings without them being destroyed by the sun's heat and radiation. Another factor is the presence of moons - some moons may have cleared out the space around their planet, preventing the formation of rings. Finally, the composition and mass of the planet can also play a role in whether or not it has rings.