• Question: Why does Saturn have that ring around it?

    Asked by natrualme to Jemma, John, Lisa, Sam, Pete on 15 Jun 2012. This question was also asked by morgs.
    • Photo: Lisa Fitzgerald

      Lisa Fitzgerald answered on 15 Jun 2012:

      Hi @natrualme,

      That is a really interesting question that, as an engineer rather than a physicist I didn’t know the answer to. So I did a little research. It appears that scientist don’t actually no the answer! But they do have theories. Most believe that the debris and ice which make up Saturn’s rings are remnants of an old moon which used to orbit the sun. An alternative theory is that they are the remaining material which didn’t get drawn in to make Saturn in the first place.

      I’m sorry that’s a great answer, but hopefully it gives you an idea… if you want to know more try researching it by finding a book at your local library 🙂

      Lisa

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