If Earth had rings, how long would it take for the rings to loose orbit? One of the answers in this question https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/281828/if-earth-had-rings said we did at one time is it possible? 
$\begingroup$
$\endgroup$
3
-
1$\begingroup$ I doubt you'll find a good estimate, but if you are interested in this subject I'd suggest search for "stability of ring systems" on the web and some papers ought to crop up. $\endgroup$– StephenG - Help UkraineDec 2, 2017 at 16:28
-
$\begingroup$ Too add to what @StephenG said. Ring systems like Saturn's are probably stable for several to many millions of years. A ring system on a planet subject to the tides Earth is subject to from the Moon and Sun would probably have a shorter life-span. I wouldn't want to guess how much shorter, but possibly an order of magnitude or two shorter, maybe more. $\endgroup$– userLTKDec 3, 2017 at 1:04
-
$\begingroup$ From the (very) little I understand about this I gather that the mass and makeup of the rings has more significance in determining stability than might seem likely at first thought. $\endgroup$– StephenG - Help UkraineDec 3, 2017 at 7:47
Add a comment
|