# Distant exoplanet hosts giant ring system

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/distant-exoplanet-hosts-giant-ring-system/711180>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [January 29, 2015, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/distant-exoplanet-hosts-giant-ring-system/711180 "2015-01-29T01:36:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Sciency](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Sciency](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sciency)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2015, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/distant-exoplanet-hosts-giant-ring-system/711180/1 "2015-01-29T01:36:05Z")

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[http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-31001936](http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-31001936)

> [@](#):
>
> Astronomers say they have discovered a planet with a gigantic ring system that is 200 times larger than that around Saturn.
> 
> It is the first such structure detected around a planet beyond our Solar System.
> 
> The researchers say there are probably more than 30 rings, each measuring tens of millions of kilometres in diameter.
> 
> The findings by a Dutch-US team are to be published in the Astrophysical Journal.
> 
> Gaps detected in the ring system also suggest that some of the material may already have coalesced to form moons. This phenomenon can be seen at work in Saturn’s rings today.

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**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2015, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/distant-exoplanet-hosts-giant-ring-system/711180/2 "2015-01-29T03:59:42Z")

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This sounds like it should be a huge news item, but the mass media won’t even mention it.

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**Author:** ![mascaroni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@mascaroni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mascaroni)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2015, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/distant-exoplanet-hosts-giant-ring-system/711180/3 "2015-01-29T07:23:59Z")

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> [@panache45](#):
>
> This sounds like it should be a huge news item, but the mass media won’t even mention it.

The BBC is pretty good at reporting this kind of thing and there’s plenty of other websites giving a more in depth view.

It seems like more people are interested in Kim Kardashian’s overinflated backside than discoveries like this.

You can lead a horse to water…

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**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2015, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/distant-exoplanet-hosts-giant-ring-system/711180/4 "2015-01-29T07:31:50Z")

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> [@mascaroni](#):
>
> It seems like more people are interested in Kim Kardashian’s overinflated backside than discoveries like this.

So you’re saying the media has discovered rings around her…uh, nevermind.

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**Author:** ![Grestarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grestarian/32/3227_2.png) [@Grestarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grestarian)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2015, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/distant-exoplanet-hosts-giant-ring-system/711180/5 "2015-01-29T20:36:13Z")

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Aww…gee…☹

And here I thought this thread was going to somehow be a Tolkein discussion.  
But I guess we won’t be discussing Tolkein-ring technologies.😉

–G!