Artist depiction
Recent studies have explored the possibility that Earth's moon, as well as Earth itself, may have once possessed ring systems similar to Saturn's. While specific details about the moon's potential rings are limited, research indicates that Earth might have had such a ring system approximately 466 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. This hypothesis is supported by the discovery of high levels of meteoric materials in limestone from that era and the identification of 21 impact craters concentrated near the ancient equator. These findings suggest that a celestial body may have disintegrated upon approaching Earth, forming a ring that eventually influenced global temperatures and contributed to significant climatic events.[1]
The concept of moons having ring systems is not unprecedented. For instance, Saturn's hypothetical former moon, Chrysalis, is believed to have been torn apart by Saturn's tidal forces between 200 and 100 million years ago, with remnants forming Saturn's current rings.[2]
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| Moon (hypo.) • Jupiter • Saturn • Rhea (disproven) • Uranus • Neptune • Haumea • Quaoar • Chariklo • Chiron |
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References[]
| Hypothetical Bodies, Hypothetical Objects, Hypothetical Regions and Hypotheses | ||
|---|---|---|
| Hypothetical planets | Inner Solar System | Enyo and Bellona • Vulcan • Counter-Earth • Nibiru • Theia • Phaeton • Planet V • Krypton |
| Outer Solar System | Fifth Giant • Uranus Impactor • Triton’s Binary Partner • Haumea Impactor • Quaoar Impactor • Brahma • Vishnu • Oceanus • Hades • Planet Nine • Planet Ten • Rodney's Planet • Planet X • Pickering's Planets • Trans-Plutonian planet • Tyche • Oort cloud planet | |
| Hypothetical Moons | Inner Solar System | Disproven Moons of Mercury • Neith • Petit's moon • Waltemath's moons • Bagby's Moons • Moons of Pallas • Moon of Hebe |
| Outer Solar System | Chiron • Chrysalis • Themis • Sedna I • Varuna I • Herschel's Moons | |
| Hypothetical Stellar Objects | Nemesis • Coatlicue | |
| Hypothetical Regions | Vulcanoid Belt • Hills Cloud • Oort cloud | |
| Hypotheses and Models | Himalia Crash Theory • Iapetus' Ring System • Nibiru cataclysm • Rings of the Moon | |