Wondering how cosmic dust rings form? [video]

When you think of cosmic rings, the first image that probably comes to mind is the beautiful giant disks that surround Saturn, isn't it? However, according to NASA, these incredible structures can also form without the presence of a planet at their center, as you can see in the time lapse animation below:

The above simulation shows the change in cosmic dust density and the increased structure of the gigantic disks: they measure 100 times the average distance between the earth and the sun! According to NASA, it is possible that cosmic dust rings form alone in certain situations, thanks to the interaction between the particles and the gas present in the structure.

As the space agency explained, dust gathers into arcs and rings, and as these particles heat up the system gas, the pressure increases and modifies the drag force of the dust. In addition, the discs may also contain other debris such as ice, asteroid collision particles, and even whole comets, and in the case of the animation above, it may take about 100, 000 years to form.