Everyone knows that if you want to estimate the age of a tree, you count the number of rings that make up its trunk. 
But would you do the same thing if you wanted to estimate the age of the rings?! Rings of planet Saturn, that is. Scientists are trying to calculate the age of these mysterious rings, and have estimated it to be 100 million years old. They reason that since the rings are shiny and reflective, the particles they contain are young and therefore the rings themselves are very young. Others however feel that with the age of our solar system being much older (4.55 Billion years), Saturn’s rings can’t be such a recent development. Who’s right? Sit back – it’s going to take a while....Continue
But would you do the same thing if you wanted to estimate the age of the rings?! Rings of planet Saturn, that is. Scientists are trying to calculate the age of these mysterious rings, and have estimated it to be 100 million years old. They reason that since the rings are shiny and reflective, the particles they contain are young and therefore the rings themselves are very young. Others however feel that with the age of our solar system being much older (4.55 Billion years), Saturn’s rings can’t be such a recent development. Who’s right? Sit back – it’s going to take a while....Continue