Why is it that Saturn’s and other planets rings have bands of color separated from each other? Wouldn’t all the different color materials mix together or does gravity or magnetism play a role?
In: Physics
There are small moons called shepherd satellites that clear out gaps in the rings either by colliding with the material or pushing them away with their small gravitation forces, but mostly the former. The different colors are different compositions of material. In the case of Saturn, the bright rings are mostly ices. Darker colors may be ice with silicate material coatings or from radiation affects that can darken the ice.
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