--- title: "Saturn Might Be Hiding Remains of a Secret, Massive Moon in Its Rings" description: "A team of astronomers at MIT suspect Saturn may be hiding the remains of an ancient moon in its rings — which could explain the planet's unusual tilt." date: "2022-09-15" modified: "2022-09-15" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/saturn-remains-secret-moon" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Moon" - "Space" tags: - "moons" - "saturn" - "the digest" --- # Saturn Might Be Hiding Remains of a Secret, Massive Moon in Its Rings ![A team of astronomers at MIT suspect Saturn may be hiding the remains of an ancient moon in its rings — which could explain the planet's unusual tilt.]() *\Image: NASA\* ## Secret Moon A team of astronomers at MIT suspect Saturn may be hiding the remains of an ancient moon in its rings — which could explain the planet's unusual tilt. In a [new paper]() published in the journal *Science* this week, the team suggests there may have been a sizable satellite dubbed Chrysalis orbiting the gas giant for several billion years, a tantalizing new theory that could explain why the planet is spinning at a highly unusual 26.7-degree angle. ## Close Encounters The scientists propose that after being in Saturn's orbit for billions of years, Chrysalis got a little too close to its host planet around 160 million years ago, obliterating itself in the process. This violent event was catastrophic enough to permanently adjust its tilt. The theory could also explain how Saturn's rings formed in the first place, with the team suggesting large amounts of icy chunks originated from the remains of Chrysalis. "Just like a butterfly’s chrysalis, this satellite was long dormant and suddenly became active, and the rings emerged," said Jack Wisdom, professor of planetary sciences at MIT and lead author of the new study, in [a statement](). ## Mass Effect To reach that conclusion, the researchers used gravitational field data collected by Cassini during its extremely close approach to model the distribution of mass inside Saturn. According to their calculations, Chrysalis would have had to be the size of Saturn's third-largest moon Iapetus before getting torn to pieces. "It’s a pretty good story, but like any other result, it will have to be examined by others," Wisdom said in the statement. "But it seems that this lost satellite was just a chrysalis, waiting to have its instability." **READ MORE:** [Saturn’s rings and tilt could be the product of an ancient, missing moon]() \[MIT\] **More on Saturn:** *[Jupiter's Moons Accused of Sucking Up the Planet's Rings]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()