Mars may have had a giant ring billions of years ago, new research suggests

NASA/JPL

• The tilted orbit of one of Mars' moons was caused by the gravitational pull of a much larger moon that existed in the past, new findings suggest.
• That moon may have taken part in a phenomenon known as a moon-ring formation cycle.
• In that cycle, Mars pulled its moon so close that the moon got ripped apart, forming a giant ring. Then over time, the pieces of space dust and rock in the ring came together to reform a moon. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

New research on Mars' two small, irregularly shaped moons suggests the red planet might have had a giant ring in the past.
Mars' two moons, Phobos and Deimos, both have wonky orbits. Phobos is about seven times larger than Deimos, and circles only about 3,700 miles above the Martian surface — the closest moon to its planet in the solar system. Deimos's orbit, meanwhile, is tilted by about two degrees.See the rest of the story at Business Insider
NOW WATCH: Why NASA waited nearly a decade to send astronauts into space from the US
See Also:

• The best coffee grinders
• Robo-advisor Wealthfront offers a high-yield cash account with a minimum deposit of $1 — here's how it stacks up
• What is a microaggression? 14 things people think are fine to say at work — but are actually racist, sexist, or offensive

SEE ALSO: 17 incredible photos from SpaceX's historic mission to send NASA astronauts to the space station

News Source

Source

:https://www.businessinsider.in/science/news/mars-may-have-had-a-giant-ring-billions-of-years-ago-new-research-suggests/articleshow/76204076.cms: