If Earth had a ring system like Saturn.
- Thread starter STDiva
- Start date
It would be interesting to look at the sky if we had ring system.
That would get old after the first 6 months or so.
Plus we'd have stray chunks of rock falling on us all the time. And you can forget about satellites.
StanScratch
My Penis Is Dancing!
Very cool little video.
Why would that be? The rings would be in one stationary location - satellites can orbit at any location we wish. Don't forget, we've got a satellite that has been exploring Saturn's system for quite some time now.
Why would that be? The rings would be in one stationary location - satellites can orbit at any location we wish. Don't forget, we've got a satellite that has been exploring Saturn's system for quite some time now.
lechepicha
Prince of the Rotten Milk
very nice post! rep to you, STDiva. :thefinger
it would be exactly as today: nobody gives a shit.
maildude
Postal Paranoiac
Yes, but OUTSIDE the ring system.
Yeah, that was my first thought too. If Earth had the mass to form rings, life as we know it couldn't exist on it. So it's a moot point.
Skyraider22
The One and Only Big Daddy
Ha Ha Ha HA :rofl2:Someone was paying attention in science class and they don't they really don't.Other than that it would be really cool wven though like Arty said there would be flying rock it would be really sweet to look at:thumbsup:
Earth at one time the scientists said had a ring around it. Back when it was a lava planet.
However, nowadays, it might be cool. Satellites whether on the outside or inside would constantly be blocked frequency wise, knocked off course from stray debris, and would at one point hit into the ring belt from the rotation and cycle it will go through. Space is unpredictable as is.
There is a reason Earth does not have a ring around it. And hail is bad enough. I really don't want to be crushed by a stray rock from the ring belt. :hatsoff:
However, nowadays, it might be cool. Satellites whether on the outside or inside would constantly be blocked frequency wise, knocked off course from stray debris, and would at one point hit into the ring belt from the rotation and cycle it will go through. Space is unpredictable as is.
There is a reason Earth does not have a ring around it. And hail is bad enough. I really don't want to be crushed by a stray rock from the ring belt. :hatsoff:
jasonk282
Banned
Kinda like a dingleberry from God.
Wouldn't that be more like God's kidney stones then if we are going down this figure of speech route?
Wainkerr99
Closed Account
Then we could prove once for all the earth is round.
That brings an interesting point, back when early mankind thought the eart was flat, what would have been their reaction to seeing those "rings in the sky" particularly shining at night. Would they give human sacrifices for them just as some ancient civilizations had them for the sun? What kind of legend would be associated with them?
Also what kind of effect would those rings have on the earth itself, like the effect the moon has over the tides? Would they amplify the moon's effect on tides? Would they also play a role in astrology? That was a good point, Wainkerr.
We might not have rings, but we make up for it with an abnormally large moon in relation to the Earth's size to make up for it.
Like people have said the Earth's mass isn’t good at creating noticeable rings. Not that rings couldn't theoretically be held in place, but the mass of the Earth just isn't enough to rip things like asteroids and comets apart due to sheer gravitational tidal forces when they approach. It would also be easier something to perturb them. The further you get from the surface of a planet the less it's gravity effects you. When a asteroid comes close to Jupiter, for example, the differences in gravitational pull on it from the near side and the far side of the asteroid are literally enough to rip it apart. Also the with of Saturn’s rings are incredibly small. Any rings Earth may have might not be so thin as to be virtually invisible from near the equator.
The whole thought that people in ancient times thought the Earth was flat is more or less a myth. Since recorded history most knowledgeable people, let alone travelers and sailor, knew the Earth was round. There has even been people that had proof of it for thousands of years.
Like people have said the Earth's mass isn’t good at creating noticeable rings. Not that rings couldn't theoretically be held in place, but the mass of the Earth just isn't enough to rip things like asteroids and comets apart due to sheer gravitational tidal forces when they approach. It would also be easier something to perturb them. The further you get from the surface of a planet the less it's gravity effects you. When a asteroid comes close to Jupiter, for example, the differences in gravitational pull on it from the near side and the far side of the asteroid are literally enough to rip it apart. Also the with of Saturn’s rings are incredibly small. Any rings Earth may have might not be so thin as to be virtually invisible from near the equator.
The whole thought that people in ancient times thought the Earth was flat is more or less a myth. Since recorded history most knowledgeable people, let alone travelers and sailor, knew the Earth was round. There has even been people that had proof of it for thousands of years.
Actually, it wouldn't really mean anything special to us because we would be so used to it, it would be just like how we view the moon now, it's just there and we always expect it to be there. If we had rings and Saturn had just a moon, we'd look at Saturn and be having this conversation but it would just be flipped around.
(actually, without our moon we couldn't have that conversation because life on our planet depends on the moon to keep earth somewhat stable)
Very true, for some reason the education system seems to think that giving a simpler explanation is somehow benefiting children instead of the real reasons. Columbus never went out to prove the world was round (that's what I was taught in my school as a child), he just wanted to find an easier trade route to Asia but it's more fun for kids to be taught the other way.