This article was published on June 12, 2020

How Mars may have lost several systems of rings over billions of years

Mars may have had a series of rings form and disappear over billions of years, a new study reveals.


How Mars may have lost several systems of rings over billions of years

Mars is normally known as the Red Planet while Saturn is famous for its glamorous system of rings. Now, a new study from the SETI Institute and Purdue University suggests that Mars may have also once had its own planetary rings.

A look at what Mars may have looked like. billions of years ago, when a ring orbited the red planet. Image credit: The Cosmic Companion / Created in Universe Sandbox On June 16, Astronomy News with the Cosmic Companion will interview Dr. Matija Ćuk, lead researcher on this study.
A false-color image of Phobos. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
Phobos and Deimos orbit Mars in highly-circular orbits, which would not be expected of captured asteroids. Image credit: The Cosmic Companion/Created in Universe Sandbox
Deimos, seen in a visualization, resembles a cratered potato in orbit over Mars. Image credit: The Cosmic Companion, created in NASA VTAD

This article was originally published on The Cosmic Companion by James Maynard, founder and publisher of The Cosmic Companion. He is a New England native turned desert rat in Tucson, where he lives with his lovely wife, Nicole, and Max the Cat. You can read this original piece here.

Astronomy News with The Cosmic Companion is also available as a weekly podcast, carried on all major podcast providers. Tune in every Tuesday for updates on the latest astronomy news, and interviews with astronomers and other researchers working to uncover the nature of the Universe.

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