An astronomer's colorful animation shows how Saturn's disappearing rings act like a 'mini solar system'

Saturn's rings, imaged based on radio data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft. Green indicates regions with particles smaller than 5 centimeters; purple is where no particles are that small. The white area is so dense that it blocked radio signals.
NASA/JPL
Saturn's seven icy rings each spin at their own speed, behaving like a "mini solar system."
Planetary scientist James O'Donoghue made a beautifully simple animation to show how it works.
But the rings are temporary: Saturn is slowly swallowing t