Chrysalis (hypothetical moon)
In the astronomy of the Solar System, Chrysalis is a hypothetical moon of Saturn, named in 2022 by scientists of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology using data from the Cassini–Huygens mission.[1] The moon would have been torn apart by Saturn's tidal forces, somewhere between 200 and 100 million years ago. Up to 99% of the moon's mass would have been swallowed by Saturn, with the remaining 1% forming the rings of Saturn.[2] The origin of Saturn's rings from the destruction of a satellite has been previously proposed by other authors.[3]
Chrysalis was hypothesized to be similar in size and mass to
The hypothetical moon was named after the pupa stage of a butterfly, with the rings of Saturn representing its emergence from the chrysalis.[4]
See also
References
- ^ "Saturn's rings could have come from a destroyed moon named Chrysalis". New Scientist. 15 September 2022.
- S2CID 252310492.
- S2CID 119229648.
- ^ a b Dunham, Will (15 September 2022). "Violent death of moon Chrysalis may have spawned Saturn's rings". Reuters. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
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