The odd shapes of Saturn's inner moons, which resemble objects ranging from ravioli to potatoes, may be due to mergers of tiny moonlets, a new study finds. Saturn's mass is 95 times Earth's mass, and Saturn's inner moons orbit the giant planet at a distance of less than half that between Earth and its moon. As such, Saturn's inner moons experience huge tidal forces that can pull them apart, the researchers said. Instead, the researchers found that Saturn's inner moons likely formed through a series of collisions between tiny moonlets, known as the pyramidal regime formation scenario. The computer simulations also revealed the special environment in which Saturn's inner moons exist that makes near-head-on collisions frequent.

Source: Fox News May 23, 2018 12:43 UTC