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The origin of Saturn's beautiful rings and the reason for the planet's unusually large 27 degree-tilt on its axis has puzzled astronomers for decades. Scientists had initially believed that the rings had been a part of the planet since its formation billions of years ago. However, recent research indicates that the planet acquired them sometime between 200 to 100 million years ago.
In a recent study published in Science, a team of researchers led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology suggest that Saturn’s rings originated | Space
The absent moon, called Chrysalis, might also explain why the planet tilts slightly in its spin.
The study also details how Saturn and the nearby planet Neptune may have once been gravitationally linked.
“Just like a butterfly’s chrysalis, this satellite was long dormant and suddenly became active, and the rings emerged."