By Steve Robson PUBLISHED: 20:56 EST, 29 March 2013 | UPDATED: 08:03 EST, 30 March 2013 The dazzling moons and rings of Saturn have long been one of the most mesmerising spectacles in the solar system. But now NASA scientists believe they may also hold the key to understanding the origins of our universe. New research based on data gathered from the Cassini spacecraft, which is orbiting Saturn, suggests these bodies date back more than 4 billion years. Scroll down for video The effects of the small moon Prometheus loom large on two of Saturn's rings in this image taken a short time before Saturn's August 2009 equinox
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Bodies date back to time when our planetary neighbourhood was formed
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New research from NASA could help explain evolution of the solar system
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Ice deposits found within the rings beyond so-called 'snow line'
Farther out, the scientists found that the surfaces of Saturn's moons generally were redder the farther they orbited from @placeholder.