Japanese researchers have successfully revealed the mystery associated with the Saturn’s F ring and its shepherd satellites. Researchers said the final stage of formation of Saturn’s satellite system is responsible for their origin.

The team in their recent theory on satellite formation said that Saturn used to have ancient rings, which had far more particles than what they have presently. They said these satellites were formed from spreading and accretion of these particles.

During the final stage of satellite formation, several small satellites tend to form near the outer edge of the ring.

Prof. Ohtsuki Keiji and student Hyodo Ryuki from Kobe University using computer systems at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan revealed that the F ring and its shepherd satellites formed when these small satellites with a dense core collided and partially disintegrated.

Ohtsuki said, “As plans are underway in and outside of Japan to explore the satellite system of Jupiter and the satellites of Mars, we will continue to unravel the origin of satellite systems, which is key to understanding the formation process of planetary systems”.

As per experts, the F ring is very narrow and had a width of only few hundred kilometers. It also had two shepherd satellites called Prometheus and Pandora, which orbit inside and outside the ring.

The Voyager and Cassini spacecraft have made detailed observations of the F ring and its shepherd satellites, their origin has not been known so far.

This new finding is expected to help clarify the formation of satellite systems, both within and outside our solar system.