NASA warns that Saturn's rings are turning invisible - but why are they disappearing?

Space agency NASA has warned that the iconic rings of Saturn are disappearing and will be gone within a matter of months.

The rings around the planet of Saturn may be one of its most obvious identifying features, but pretty soon they’re going to cease to be visible.

They are comprised of billions of pieces of ice, dust and rock, but due to the way the planet tilts, stargazers only have until early 2025 to view them.

This is because Saturn is gradually titling and will soon be edge-on with Earth which means that its famous rings will cast an almost invisible line. The phenomenon is known as a “ring place crossing”.

Experts predict this is set to start on 23 March 2025. The rings will gradually start to come back into view before they disappear again in November 2025, due to Saturn’s unique axial tilt and the planet’s orbit around the sun.

While the sight may give the impression that the rings of Saturn have completely disappeared, it is simply an optical illusion because viewers are looking at the rings edge-on.

From that specific angle, “they reflect very little light and are very difficult to see, making them essentially invisible,” University of Southern California physicist and astronomer Vahé Peroomian explained to CBS News.

Ring plane crossings are not new, as astronomers on Earth have been used to the event occurring every 13 to 16 years.

The last time the phenomenon happened was in 2009. Next year’s event is predicted to be the last time a Saturn ring plane crossing will occur until 2027 or 2028.

The celestial event provides a unique opportunity for experts to study Saturn in a different way. Throughout history, 13 of Saturn’s 148 moons have been discovered during this period.

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