Saturn: Planet's iconic rings to 'disappear' in 2025

Saturn is the second-largest planet in our solar system

When you think of Saturn, you probably picture the planet with its iconic rings around it.

However, Nasa have confirmed that the grand sight is set to disappear in 2025!

It's all down to an optical illusion, due to Saturn's tilt, which will turn the vast hoops into an almost invisible line.

But don't worry, it won't be forever - as you'll be able to see them again when the planet tilts back towards Earth.

Why will Saturn's rings disappear?

Saturn has seven main rings, which are thought to be made from pieces of comets, asteroids or crushed moons that broke up before they reached the planet.

Although the huge rings extend up to 175,000 miles from the planet, their vertical height is typically only around 10 meters in the main rings - meaning they're comparatively paper thin.

The iconic rings were first observed by famous Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei back in 1610.

But current stargazers have only got around 18 months to catch sight of the hoops before they are set to disappear in 2025.

That's because Saturn isn't in perfect alignment with Earth - it's currently tilted at around a 9 degree angle, so right now we have a good view of the rings.

By next year, that will have decreased to around a 3.7 degree angle meaning it will be slightly harder to spot the hoops.

And come March 2025, the rings are due to appear side on with Earth - so therefore they will temporarily 'vanish' from view.

But don't worry after this time the rings will continue to become more and more visible as Saturn starts tilting away from Earth - and in 2032, when Saturn reaches its maximum tilt, we will be able to get the best view of the iconic sight again!

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