Mars will get ring like Saturn, scientists predict

Source: CBC News

Mars will get ring like Saturn, scientists predict

Moon Phobos is making a death spiral that will result in it getting torn to pieces, study suggests

CBC News Posted: Nov 23, 2015 2:14 PM ET Last Updated: Nov 23, 2015 3:31 PM ET

The Red Planet could find itself wearing a stylish new accessory in tens of millions of years.

A ring like Saturn's will likely form from the shattered remains of Mars's moon Phobos when that moon breaks apart in about 20 to 40 million years, predict planetary scientists in a new paper published Monday.

The ring is expected to last for up to 100 million years.

Phobos, the larger of Mars's two moons, is gradually spiralling towards Mars. As it gets closer, Mars's gravity is pulling harder on the side closest to the planet, producing forces known as "tidal stresses."

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Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/mars-ring-1.3331298