This visible-light image showing the rings of Saturn was captured Sept. 24, 2016 by the Cassini spacecraft.

(NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute)

At a Glance

A new study released by a Cornell University researcher revealed Saturn's rings may only be 15 to 100 million years old.Previous estimates said Saturn's rings were at least 10 billion years old.The new findings were made possible by data from the Cassini spacecraft, which has been in Saturn's orbit for 12 years.

For decades, scientists have held the belief that the rings of Saturn are billions of years old, probably dating at least as far back as 10 billion years. A researcher from Cornell University may have just turned that theory on its head.

The new paper, , found Saturn's C ring is likely somewhere between 15 and 100 million years old– far younger than previously believed. This ring, , was ideal for study because of its composition. Because the ring has a relatively low mass and is "polluted" with more non-icy material, it gave researcherZhimengZhang her best chance , she told Sci News.

The findings were made possible by the Cassini spacecraft, which has been studying Saturn for more than 12 years. In fact, the data has been collected over the past 10 years, but figuring out the exact composition of the C ring , according to RedOrbit.

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"This wasn’t low-hanging fruit," professor Alexander Hayes, Zhang’s supervisor at Cornell, told Sci News.

The key to unlocking the C ring's composition was Cassini's Titan Radar Mapper, which was able to look through the layers of foreign materials, but also into the ice rings inside, RedOrbit said. Through this analysis, Zhang realized the long-held belief that the C ring was billions of years old just doesn't seem accurate.

Zhang said she expects more data from next year's proximal orbit observationsand hopes to apply the same methodology to the planet's A and B rings to learn more about their age as well, Sci News also reported.

"None of the current origin scenarios predict the rings are likely younger than 3.8 billion years old," Zhang told Sci News. "This will force a rethinking of ring origin models."

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Rings View From Washington, D.C.

At 38 degrees north latitude, the rings would be beautifully displayed. Here we see them at sunrise. (Courtesy Ron Miller)