Since its discovery in 1610, Saturn’s ice-based rings have stunned humanity with their beauty. Well, have you ever thought about how these rings, which are thought to be composed of satellites and comets that add a special beauty to the planet when viewed from afar, and are split into pieces before they can reach it, will stand on Earth?
In this content, ‘What would the Earth look like if it had rings like Saturn?’ and ‘How would the life on it be affected?’ We will answer your questions. Although it will create an impressive image both from the outside and from the world, there is a doomsday scenario behind these rings.
First of all, let’s briefly talk about how these rings are formed:
The ‘Roche limit’ introduced by Edouard Roche in 1847 will remove the question marks in our minds on this subject. The term in question is roughly defined as the shortest distance a celestial body can approach a larger celestial body without breaking apart.
As it approaches the mentioned limit, the structure of the small celestial body deteriorates, and if it exceeds this limit, it breaks into pieces. Later, the fragments separated from this object form a ring in the orbit of the large object.
Of course, not everything is that simple. Because when reviewing the Roche limit, the size, mass and density of the two objects should be considered. Let us suppose that an object capable of forming a ring is approaching the earth.
Let’s start with the good side: Now we have a 24/7 view
The most favorable place for the rings to form would be the Equatorial region. Therefore, if you lived here, you could see a line dividing the sky in two.
- Ron Miller
Since our rings formed in the Equatorial region, those living in the polar regions would be faced with a mound on the horizon
Our rings would look like this when viewed from the city of Los Angeles.
Our rings would have looked like this from the Polynesian region.
And those looking at the sky from Istanbul would be faced with this view.
Let’s come to our doomsday scenario: First of all, there is no internet anymore
The majority of our satellites, which ensure the continuity of communication in our world, are located on the Equator. . The rings we are talking about will not consist of ice, as our Earth is closer to the Sun than Saturn, but this time there will be rocks. This means that our satellites will almost find themselves among rapidly moving rocks.
Elon Musk’s dreams of Mars remain a dream: sending spacecraft has become impossible
The rocks that make up the planet’s ring, in a way, act as a barrier that keeps the planet inside he sees. This means that launching rockets will be trapped in a rock storm like satellites. In other words, it will be necessary to find different/complex ways for both communication and exploration.
Things are not going well inside either: We are facing meteor showers
The gravitational pull of the Moon is constantly trying to pull the objects in our ring. This means that we will see meteor showers that can be seen at roughly the same time as the tidal event. In this case, we recommend that you stay away from the big coastal cities.
Astronomy is also badly affected:
Although rock fragments reflect very little of the light falling on them, many rocks in the rings on Earth make the ring in question 24/7. will keep it visible. This will frustrate people who make observations at night.
The weather is now twice as cold as it always was, especially in winters:
These rocks, which we say act as barriers, also block the sunlight coming from outside to a great extent. . This means that there will be times colder than usual. Especially the parts under the shadow of the ring will be too cold to be habitable.
Finally: Those rocks will not stay there forever
The ring of rocks you will see around the world will not be able to stand when the time comes and will disappear. But don’t let this disappearance appear in your mind as if it were going to happen magically. We are talking about the falling of rocks to the earth’s surface, which presents the fascinating view we see above.
We have come to the end of our content where we explain how the Earth would look if it had rings like Saturn and what would happen on it. Since there are so many variables in such matters, we can only proceed through theories. For this reason, if you are interested in the subject, we recommend you to turn to scientific articles for the continuation.
Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4
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