Astronomers say they have solved one of Saturn’s greatest mysteries
Yahoo • • science
Key Points:
- New research suggests Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, formed from a collision about 500 million years ago between Titan and a now-lost smaller moon, which may also explain the origin of Saturn’s rings and the moon Hyperion.
- Titan is moving away from Saturn at a faster rate than previously thought, and this drifting orbit, along with Saturn’s unusual tilt, supports the theory of a past major collision influencing the system’s dynamics.
- The study builds on Cassini spacecraft data and proposes that the collision disrupted Saturn’s inner moons, causing debris to form the rings roughly 100 million years ago, and that the lost moon’s gravity once kept Saturn’s tilt in sync with Neptune’s orbit.
- Experts not involved in the study
