Schematic Illustration of the Ring Formation Process (IMAGE)
Caption
Schematic illustration of the ring formation process. The dotted lines show the distance at which the giant planets' gravity is strong enough that tidal disruption occurs. (a) When Kuiper belt objects have close encounters with giant planets, they are destroyed by the giant planets' tidal forces. (b) As a result of tidal disruption some fragments are captured into orbits around the planet. (c) Repeated collisions between the fragments cause the captured fragments to break down, their orbit becomes gradually more circular, and the current rings are formed (partial alteration of figure from Hyodo, Charnoz, Ohtsuki, Genda 2016, Icarus).
Credit
Kobe University
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