PASADENA, Calif. - New observations made by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft suggest that Rhea, the second-largest moon of Saturn, may have rings. If the rings were confirmed, it would be the first moon to have a ring system around it.

The Cassini spacecraft had detected a large debris disk which appeared to be like rings around the 950-mile-wide moon Rhea. Scientists firmly believe that the discs are composed of particles ranging from the size of pebbles to big rocks.

In contrast to the rings around Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, the alleged arcs around Rhea remain invisible and cannot be seen directly. Scientists confirmed the existence of arcs based on the measurements made by Cassini, which detected a fall in electrons on both sides of the moon, indicating that the existence of rings was absorbing the electrons.

This is an artist concept of the ring of debris that may orbit Saturn’s second-largest moon, Rhea. The suggested disk of solid material is exaggerated in density here for clarity.

Credit: NASA/JPL/JHUAPL

It’s uncertain that when the rings would have originated, one thing is certain that they originated as a result of a collision of an asteroid or comet which took place long ago that disgorged the debris around Rhea.

“There is also possibility that rings might have formed even at the time of Rhea’s formation,” said Geraint Jones, a space physicist from University College of London.

Till now, we were known that only planets have rings, added Jones, who began the research while at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany.

The Cassini mission, which was a joint effort by NASA and the space agencies of Italy and Europe, was launched into space in 1997. The spacecraft reached Saturn in 2004. The mission is controlled by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena.

“It is the first time to detect a moon having rings around it”, said the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Rhea, which is having a diameter of about 1500 kilometers, is the second-largest moon of Saturn. Cassini detected alleged arcs of debris which stretches several thousand miles from end to end said NASA.

“After excluding many other possibilities, we said these discs have similarities of rings,” said Jones. “No one might have expected rings around a moon.”

Cassini is the first spacecraft to explore the Saturn system of rings and moons from orbit.

‘Until now we believed that Saturn was the only planet having rings,’ said a scientist of Cassini mission. “Now we also have a moon of Saturn which seems to be a miniature version of it even more elaborately decorated parent.”

Relevant Links:

• Saturn’s Moon Rhea Also May Have Rings
• http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/media/rhea20080306.html

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