microrobert
05-22-2013, 04:51 AM
If Earth Had a Ring Like Saturn (http://io9.com/if-earth-had-a-ring-like-saturn-508750253)
Our planet is lucky enough to have a large moon orbiting not too far away, which makes for very pretty moonlit nights. But for spectacular skies it might almost be worth trading in our moon for a ring like Saturn's.
In fact, the earth did once have a ring—as part of the formation of our moon, ironically enough. When the planet Thea crashed into the earth, a titanic amount of material was blown into space. This went into orbit around the earth, forming a ring until it all eventually coalesced into our present-day satellite. This only happened because the material was orbiting outside of earth's Roche limit.
From Washington, DC (at 38° latitude), the rings begin to sink below the horizon, though they would still be an awe-inspiring sight as they dominate the sky both day and night.
http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/18oaphwwtiphyjpg/ku-xlarge.jpg
If Earth Had a Ring Like Saturn (http://io9.com/if-earth-had-a-ring-like-saturn-508750253)
Our planet is lucky enough to have a large moon orbiting not too far away, which makes for very pretty moonlit nights. But for spectacular skies it might almost be worth trading in our moon for a ring like Saturn's.
In fact, the earth did once have a ring—as part of the formation of our moon, ironically enough. When the planet Thea crashed into the earth, a titanic amount of material was blown into space. This went into orbit around the earth, forming a ring until it all eventually coalesced into our present-day satellite. This only happened because the material was orbiting outside of earth's Roche limit.
From Washington, DC (at 38° latitude), the rings begin to sink below the horizon, though they would still be an awe-inspiring sight as they dominate the sky both day and night.
http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/18oaphwwtiphyjpg/ku-xlarge.jpg
If Earth Had a Ring Like Saturn (http://io9.com/if-earth-had-a-ring-like-saturn-508750253)