Does Mars Have Any Rings?

Does Mars Have Any Rings? Based on our current knowledge, Mars does not have any rings. In fact, none of the rocky inner planets in our solar system has rings. Saturn has the most prominent rings, but astronomers have discovered rings around all the gas giants, including Jupiter.

Planetary Rings

It’s no coincidence that the largest planets have rings while the smaller planets do not. Scientists believe a strong gravitation field is a crucial element in forming planetary rings. All planets have a gravitational zone called the Roche limit: any object which wanders within this limit is torn apart by gravity and the tidal forces of the planet’s rotation. Although this tidal zone exists around all the planets, only the gas planets have a Roche limit large enough to maintain rings. All the outer gas planets have rings, but Saturn’s are the most visually stunning because they are composed mostly of small ice particles, which reflect light well. Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune’s rings are much thinner and rocky.

Future Rings of Mars

Mars is orbited by two moons, Phobos and Deimos, which are small and irregular in shape, indicating that they may be captured asteroids. Astronomers know that Phobos is slowly spiraling inward towards Mars. Sometime in the next 50 million years, Phobos will either collide with Mars or disintegrate to form a rocky ring around Mars. Also, scientists have not ruled out the existence of dust rings trailing in Phobos and Deimos’s wake. However, these rings would be incredibly faint, and no such rings have been discovered to date.

Resources

• University of Colorado – Laboratory of Atmospheric and Space Physics – The Outer Planets: Rings
• NASA – Cassini Solstice Mission – Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• NASA – Solar System Exploration: Planets
• Cornell University – Planetary Rings – ArXiv.org Astro-ph ArXiv:1112.3305