Why are Saturn's rings in its equatorial plane?

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In summary, there is no consensus on the mechanism that pulled small ice and stone particles preferentially into orbiting in the equatorial plane of Saturn and some hypotheses include the effects of gravity and tidal forces. The article linked discusses various theories about the formation of Saturn's rings.
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What mechanism pulled small ice and stone particles preferentially into orbiting in the equatorial plane of Saturn? Is there a resonance involved? Wikipedia says that there is no consensus. What are some hypotheses?
What mechanism pulled small ice and stone particles preferentially into orbiting in the equatorial plane of Saturn? Is there a resonance involved? Wikipedia says that there is no consensus. What are some hypotheses?
 
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This article cover some theories about the formation of rings https://arxiv.org/abs/0912.3017

What mechanism that pulled objects in, gravity? Why in the equatorial plane? Isn't that just due to spinning objects tend to bulge out at the equator, which makes gravity stronger there so that every orbiting object will eventually end up orbiting that object around the equatorial plane due to tidal effects? This should be a well known and established theory.
 
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Yes, that alignment should follow from basic orbital mechanics. With a bulge and a non-equatorial orbit there is an oscillating gravitational force component perpendicular to the orbital plane that acts to change the orbital inclination towards the plane of the bulge.
 
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drmalawi said:
This article cover some theories about the formation of rings https://arxiv.org/abs/0912.3017

What mechanism that pulled objects in, gravity? Why in the equatorial plane? Isn't that just due to spinning objects tend to bulge out at the equator, which makes gravity stronger there so that every orbiting object will eventually end up orbiting that object around the equatorial plane due to tidal effects? This should be a well known and established theory.
This article cover some theories about the formation of rings https://arxiv.org/abs/0912.3017
This very detailed paper, of 76 pages, discusses different mechanisms for the creation and maintenance of Saturn's many rings. It is amazing how complex planetary astronomy can be. Thanks for referring me to this paper.
 
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1. Why does Saturn have rings?

Saturn has rings because of its strong gravitational pull. These rings are made up of millions of small particles, ranging in size from tiny dust grains to large boulders, that orbit around the planet.

2. Why are Saturn's rings in its equatorial plane?

The rings of Saturn are in its equatorial plane because of the planet's rotation. Saturn's equatorial plane is the plane in which the planet rotates, and the rings are aligned with this plane due to the centrifugal force of the planet's rotation.

3. How were Saturn's rings formed?

The exact origin of Saturn's rings is still a topic of debate among scientists. Some theories suggest that the rings were formed from the debris of a moon that was destroyed by a collision, while others propose that the rings are remnants of material that never fully coalesced into a moon.

4. Are Saturn's rings permanent?

Yes, Saturn's rings are considered to be permanent features of the planet. However, they are not completely stable and are constantly changing due to collisions between particles and the gravitational influence of nearby moons.

5. How many rings does Saturn have?

Saturn has 7 main rings, labeled A through G, with the gaps between them also designated with letters. However, there are also fainter and narrower rings that have been discovered in recent years, bringing the total number of known rings to over 80.

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