Evidence suggests Earth had a ring system 466 million years ago, causing a surge in meteorite impacts and possibly influencing the planet's climate.

Earth and Saturn might be a lot more similar than previously thought. In a new study, a team of researchers suggests that 466 million years ago, a ring system made up of asteroid remnants may have surrounded our planet,

The Earth: a ringed planet, much like Saturn, surrounded by a hula hoop of asteroids. The summit of Mount Everest: a tropical, vibrant paradise replete with frolicking shellfish and warm waters encouraging plentiful life.

"Over millions of years, material from this ring gradually fell to Earth, creating the spike in meteorite impacts," said researcher Andy Tomkins.

Saturn’s rings are among the most beautiful features on any planet within our galaxy. Recently, a group of Australian scientists found that the Earth may have been surrounded by its own rings millions of years ago.

Researchers have found evidence suggesting that our planet may have once had a ring system around 466 million years ago.

Earth may have had rings. At least that's what a new study published this month claims. Here's what we know so far.

A weird number of craters are located close to the equator, and the odds that this is random are incredibly low, researchers say.

And now, a new study published in the scientific journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters seems to show that Earth itself once had a similar ring. The new study asserts that Earth's ring formed around 466 million years ago and stuck around for around 40 million years before dissipating.

The rings of Saturn are among the most famous and spectacular features in the solar system. Earth may once have had something similar.

C ould Earth once have had a planetary ring like the ones around Saturn? Scientists from Monash University in Australia think so. In a recent paper they identify 450m-year-old craters that lie close to Earth’s historical equator.