Saturn's rings play magic tricks on astronomers: NASA

According to a recent study, Saturn's rings have been playing tricks on us by creating an optical illusion.

Experts have analysed the mass of Saturn's rings and found that they are thinner than anticipated, the Mirror reported. Viewed from particular angles, the rings appear far less densely populated.NASA said that muddier water has more suspended particles of dirt in it than clearer water.

Some parts of Saturn's B ring are up to 10 times more opaque than the neighbouring A ring, but the B ring may weigh in at only two to three times the A ring's mass. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

It added, "Likewise, you might think that, in the rings of Saturn, more opaque areas contain a greater concentration of material than places where the rings seem more transparent." Cassini co-investigator Phillip Nicholson and Matthew Hedman of the University of Idaho studied the planet and did not find any link between the rings' opacity and the amount of material they contains.

This image is cropped from a panoramic view of Saturn's main ring system, and includes the names of major ring features. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

In their study, experts discovered that Saturn's B-ring opacity manifested variations in its width even if the amount of material didn't change at all. Nicholson stated that appearances can be deceiving. A good analogy is how a foggy meadow is much more opaque than a swimming pool, even though the pool is denser and contains a lot more water.

The new report has been published online by the journal Icarus.