Phaeton (hypothetical planet) Only in 1949 did the well-known Soviet astronomer Sergej Vladirimovich Orlov give it the name Phaeton... This name has become established." Theories regarding the formation of the asteroid belt from the destruction of a hypothetical fifth planet are today collectively referred to as the "disruption theory". This theory states that there was once a major planetary member of our solar system circulating in the present gap between Mars and Jupiter, which was variously destroyed when: Today, the Phaeton hypothesis has been superseded by the accretion model. Most astronomers today believe that the asteroids in the main belt are remnants of
Formation and evolution of the Solar System planet, with abrasion by meteorites and Saturn's gravity eventually taking the rest, leaving Saturn unadorned. However, data from the "Cassini" mission led scientists to revise that early view. Observations revealed 10 km-wide icy clumps of material that repeatedly break apart and reform, keeping the rings fresh. Saturn's rings are far more massive than the rings of the other giant planets. This large mass is thought to have preserved Saturn's rings since it first formed 4.5 billion years ago, and is likely to preserve them for billions of years to come. In the long term, the greatest changes in the Solar