A 'grazing encounter' may have smashed the moon to bits to form Saturn’s signature rings.

Saturn is famed for its beautiful rings, but these rings are something of a puzzle. Now, new research suggests they could have formed from a lost moon.

This lost moon, the authors of the study say, is responsible for Saturn’s trademark feature: the rings. These astronomers didn’t set out to find a missing moon.

With its striking rings and tilted axis, Saturn is the showiest planet in the solar system. Now, scientists say they have a new theory as to how Saturn got its signature look.

The missing satellite, therefore, could explain two longstanding mysteries: Saturn’s present-day tilt and the age of its rings, which were previously estimated to be about 100 million years old — much ...

The researchers dubbed the lost moon Chrysalis because it blossomed into the rings much as a chrysalis transforms into a butterfly. The new proposal for how Saturn became “Lord of the Rings” in our ...

The origin of Saturn's rings may be tied to a long-lost moon that veered too close to the planet, a new study says.

As Saturn’s rings vanish during 2025, so too does the constancy Galileo thought he observed in the strangest member of the Sun’s family of planets.

Saturn is everyone’s favorite planet, it seems. Through a telescope those glorious rings make that world appear so three-dimensional that it’s not ...

Previous research had estimated that Saturn’s rings were 100 million years old – much younger than the planet itself – although their age is a hotly debated topic.

Previous research had estimated that Saturn’s rings were 100 million years old – much younger than the planet itself – although their age is a hotly debated topic.