Saturn’s stunning rings will ‘disappear’ in 2025. Blame it on an optical illusion

Saturn, the sixth planet from the sun in our solar system, is famous for its amazing and iconic rings. Comprised primarily of countless icy particles and tiny rock fragments, these rings surround the planet in a mesmerizing display of natural beauty. These stunning structures, which are prominently visible through telescopes, have fascinated astronomers and space enthusiasts for centuries. Recent studies have claimed that these structures will disappear, although this will happen after millions of years. But in 2025, those eager to photograph the famous episodes will be in for a surprise as they will disappear from view due to an optical illusion, according to a report published in subway.

Saturn is not in perfect alignment with Earth, as it is tilted at an angle of approximately 9 degrees. By 2024, the angle will decrease to about 3.7 degrees.

A year later, due to its movement away from Earth, Saturn’s axis will assume a vertical position from its current tilted position, which will make the rings appear like a thin horizontal bar parallel to the Earth. This will make this structure too thin to be seen. To understand this better, it is like holding a sheet of paper parallel to our eyes.

This phenomenon will continue until 2032 when the underside of the rings will be revealed.

How were these rings formed?

Our solar system and its planets formed about 4.6 billion years ago, but according to the US space agency, these structures are relatively new.

NASA said that it is believed that Saturn’s rings are pieces of comets and asteroids that separated before reaching the planet, and were torn apart due to its strong gravity. They are made of billions of tiny pieces of ice and rock coated with other materials such as dust.

Saturn’s ring system extends up to 282,000 kilometers from the planet, yet the vertical height is typically about 30 feet in the seven main rings.