Saturn's magnificent rings will vanish in 18 months
Saturn’s magnificent rings will vanish in 18 months. Credit: NASA
11-26-2023
ByEric Ralls
Earth.com staff writer
In 1610, Galileo Galilei, renowned as the pioneer of modern astronomy, first laid eyes upon the magnificent rings of Saturn. His initial observations through an early, rudimentary telescope led him to describe these celestial features as resembling “ears.”
Now, centuries later, the marvels of Saturn’s rings are accessible to anyone equipped with basic astronomical gear.
Cosmic phenomenon
Yet, this grand sight has an expiration date set for 2025 – when Saturn’s rings will vanish from view, not once but twice. Composed of seven distinct rings, this cosmic phenomenon is believed to be formed from the remnants of comets, asteroids, and moons that ventured too near Saturn and were ripped apart by the planet’s immense gravitational pull.
The rings are also home to countless icy fragments and are shrouded in a layer of cosmic dust. Their exact age remains a topic of debate, though recent research posits they may be relative newcomers on the cosmic scene, having possibly formed a mere 400 million years ago – making them younger than a tenth of Saturn’s own age.
More:
https://www.earth.com/news/saturns-rings-will-vanish-from-sight-in-2025/
= new reply since forum marked as read
Long live Saturn. 
Saturn is about 10 Astronomical Units from Earth. The nearest exoplanet is 250,000 AU from Earth, about 4 light years. So you'd need a telescope 25,000 times bigger.
You can see Saturn's rings from the ground with a four inch telescope. Not well, but recognizable. You'd need a telescope 2.5 km wide, about 1.5 miles.
To get Hubble resolution you'd need a telescope 25,000 times bigger than 2.4 m (about 7 feet). That would be about 60 km or 37 miles wide. In space.
James Webb resolution of Uranus (about 20 AU) pictured below, more likely ring system than a Saturnian ring system. You'd need a telescope about 12,500 times bigger to get the nearest exoplanet, if it has rings. That would be 6.5 m x 12500 = 81 km or 50 miles. In space.
Two exoplanets are suspected to have rings. They are 450 light years and 1000 light years away. 100 and 250 times the distance used in the calculations above.
