BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA — Scientists have used new measurements to calculate the mass of Saturn's rings to estimate their age, which is 10to 100 million years old, according to Berkeley News. <br /><br />One of the last things the Cassini spacecraft did before plunging into Saturn's atmosphere in 2017 was to travel between the planet and its rings, acting as a gravity probe. <br /><br />NASA programmed Cassini to perform 22 dives between the planet and the rings, with earth-based radio telescopes measuring the spacecraft's velocity to within a fraction of a millimeter per second. <br /><br />Based on how much Cassini's flight path was deflected by the gravity of the rings, researchers were able to make an accurate estimate of Saturn ring mass. <br /><br />Previous research has shown a relationship between the mass of the rings and their age. Lower mass would point to a younger age, because the rings are initially made of ice and are bright, but over time become contaminated and darkened by interplanetary debris. <br /><br />With that estimate, scientist calculated that the rings are relatively recent, having originated between 100 million years to 10 million years ago.
