A Cosmic Collision: Titan and a Lost Moon May Have Forged Saturn's Rings
TL;DR Summary
Scientists combining Titan formation ideas, Cassini data, and simulations propose that Titan collided with a lost proto-moon about 500 million years ago; the wreckage may have become Hyperion and also helped forge Saturn’s rings, while Titan’s altered mass could have nudged Saturn’s tilt and resonance with Neptune. Titan’s orbit is expanding, and NASA’s Dragonfly mission to Titan (launch 2028, arrival 2034) could test this scenario.
- Saturn’s rings and largest moon may have formed after a cosmic collision, astronomers say CNN
- Saturn's largest moon may actually be 2 moons in 1 — and helped birth the planet's iconic rings Live Science
- An Ancient Merger Could Have Created Titan and the Debris Created Saturn's Rings Universe Today
- Did a titanic moon crash create Saturn's iconic rings? Space
- Did an epic collision form Saturn’s moon Titan and rings? EarthSky
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