The Mysterious Disappearance of Saturn's Iconic Rings

Saturn's innermost rings are being sucked up into the planet's upper atmosphere, and scientists are still trying to figure out why. The planet's icy rings are collapsing into the planet as icy rain, succumbing to its intense gravity. Researchers are trying to figure out how long these rings will exist and if they could ever come back. The changing Sun's radiation during Saturn's 29.5-year orbit may be influencing how much icy material falls toward the planet's upper atmosphere.