What Would Happen If The Earth Had Rings?
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- Опубліковано 17 тра 2024
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Rings around planetary bodies is surprisingly common. So why doesn’t the Earth have rings? Today we take a look at how rings form, what kind of rings Earth could have, how they would have shaped humanity, and why many scientists believe once upon a time, we did.
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TIMESTAMPS
0:00 - What Are Rings?
2:09 - How Can Rings Form?
6:07 - Earth Rings View From Space
7:05 - Earth Rings View From Earth
7:50 - View From Earth At Night
8:22 - Shadows and Seasons
11:56 - Tangent Cam
13:58 - How Rings Could Affect Culture
16:40 - How Rings Could Affect Science - Наука та технологія
Hey I just wanted to say thanks for all the lovely comments this video has been receiving. As many of you pointed out, we put a LOT of effort into this video and really tried to make it something special. Who knows if that will be reflected in the view numbers but your responses make me feel like it was all worth it. Thank you!
This was an A+ video, IMO! The graphics, the interesting science-based speculation, the fact-checking with leading experts... you can tell this was very high-effort, and I'm sure your community is grateful for it! Thank you.
Top tier brother, you always hit it out of the park to be honest.
It's so refreshing watching a video like this with time, effort and passion in it. In comparison to all the AI scripted and Image generated videos. Amazing work from everyone involved!
Damn, those animations of the rings around Earth were so pretty! Such a cool video, you really didn't disappoint!
Thank you for coming back, you are hands-down one of the best parts of my Mondays. Literally makes my whole week better! Can't tell you how many times last week I refreshed your page, thinking did UA-cam just not notify me?
That's why aliens don't call us, the earth doesn't ring.
You should be arrested
So aliens only call married planets?
But they do visit
@@mac23806 Sure they visit, showing up in the middle of the night drunk. But do they ever call beforehand? Do they ever ring the next day to see how we are doing after the night of probing? I think not!
@@supreme84xye so sad 😢
I once created a fantasy setting that takes place on a planet with rings. During the winter, the sun disappears behind the rings and turns the day into a deep twilight. These few months are known as the Long Night, and it's always when all the nocturnal and subterranean monsters roam the land. Most of the year is centered around preparing for this time, much like our own winter for subsistence agricultural societies. Food needs to be harvested, preserved, and stored. Defenses and fortifications need to be repaired. Weapons and armor maintained. It's also a big money-making time for adventurers and mercenaries.
Me too, brother: my fantasy book is the same
That's so cool!
And that fantasy was called "A Song of Ice and Fire".
Are you there by yourself?
In my setting, the rings are used for cardinal directions. So you have setwards, risewards, tipwards, and nyxwards (Nyx being the name of the Rings). The hemispheres are broken up into Ought and Nought, so if you need to refer to a specific direction in another location, you might have to say something like "The ship should be heading Oughtnyxrisewards"
You mentioned space junk, and it reminded me of a story I heard from a friend of my father. My father’s friend was an astronaut, unfortunately he is no longer with us. But he was doing maintenance on the outside of the space station and accidentally dropped the spatula he was using to apply the material. He contacted NASA back on Earth saying “uhhh I’ve dropped my spatula” and they tracked its orbit until it burned up in the atmosphere some time later.
This story made me giggle so much. Just imagining this happening and a spatula floating around in space 😂
What was his name?
Piers Sellers
I bet it was a very high tech space spatula though
@@dianawatson5830before you laugh, there are weird names for real tools at NASA and in production plants. A spud wrench isn't for potatoes. But, there is such a thing as a spud wrench.
I also was a bit emotional seeing the photos of the rings from here on earth. Like standing on the brink of Niagara Falls, the size and power are overwhelming. I also wonder if we still had rings, would there be a guy somewhere posting a "What would happen if the earth had no rings?" video?
I love that your brain also went to conspiracy theorists😂. I was thinking we wouldn’t have flat earthers
I'm glad I'm not the only one that got emotional😭
I got a little misty and was like _"what an absolutely beautiful baddie"_ 🥹
Now I'm thinking what earth might be like without the moon
I was thinking the same!
@@NaomiMNKThe flat earthers would claim the rings are either a hologram or the massive support structure that holds up the sky dome's various layers. 😂
The cultural aspect is definitely the most interesting part to me.
I'm loving these thought experiments of how cultures would form and advance with those rings constantly there.
I'd imagine the people to find out that the rings look vastly different at different parts of the Earth would have their mind blown.
I imagine that this could be a cause for more exploration of Earth earlier in humanity's evolution. If you were on the equator and noticed that the rings start to stretch out the farther you go north or south, it might make you more curious and want to see how big they get. Then again, there was plenty for ancient humans to be interested in... out there away from home.
Same! I imagine that all the distinct bands would have unique names, just like the planets and stars. You’d learn them in school alongside the planets’ names.
People from the past might have believed for a long time that the rings were solid, which in their beliefs had their own peoples and geography. This would be the case until telescope technology improved enough to see the makeup of the rings. Perhaps they would have thought that the rings converged on the equator, forming a pathway onto them or a great wall dividing the globe.
The rings could have been part of creation myths, or the mythical origins of animals or minerals. Like the Japanese had a myth where rabbits came from the moon, except with the rings. People near the equator might believe that it’s a river or stream, perhaps to do with life or death like a river Styx equivalent. Or they might have revered the ring as a god, like a giant snake or dragon diety. People farther from the equator might have thought of each ring as a separate god instead.
Rings could have also had special significance in iconography, as a holy symbol or to encompass the earth as a whole in one symbol. Traditional halos would take the shape of the rings as a symbol of holiness. The equator could have unique cultural and religious significance, as the place closest to the rings. It could have been the subject of crusades or Mecca equivalents.
A lot of vocabulary would have been inspired by the rings. Like Joe mentioned, instead of north and south, we might call it “skyward” and “ringward”. We might have a “ringday” each week. People might have “gone to the rings and back” to achieve something, or “have their own rings” when they felt all-important or overconfident. To “be among the rings” could have been used to describe intense joy, or alternatively to describe someone’s passing.
What people? Homo Sapiens would not have arisen.
@@zeppie_would ancient cultures have called it a ring, or an arch?
i imagine ancient navigavtion will be easier, like when you're a trader from china to india, you will see the ring gradually getting thinner and thinner until they are just a slit in the sky and vice versa. sea navigation at night will less depended on stars and more depended on ring positions.
Holy cow. You've outdone yourself, Joe! Watching the Earth's shadow across the rings gives a sense of perspective that I've _never_ had about living on this blue marble. Seeing that snaps into sharp relief that you're sitting on the side of a planet looking out. That's just... mind blowing. Thank you for sharing this!
Sometimes I look at my shadow and I can see myself as if I was looking in a mirror in a way. As time passes I wonder if light can pass through me on a very small scale.
.
So sometimes I look at a partially shadowed moon 🌙 and think about the angles of things but I look at the shadow and feel the same way u prob did
I imagine it doesn't take much to 'blow your mind'!? 🤔🙄
I think we would have figured out that the earth is a sphere much faster for that exact reason. And probably that we orbit the sun as well.
I am now thinking how flat earthers would explain it.
It's bloody terrifying is what it is
I was once working on a ringed planet for a speculative evolution and I was most interested in how many hours you might spend in any certain location in the narrow ring's shadow at different geographic locations and seasons. Sometimes you'd have the ring's shadow right at dawn, sometime at midday and sometimes towards the evening. Very fun stuff!
I absolutely LOVE this exercise of a ringed earth.
You worked on a ringed planet? How did you get there?
@howlrichard1028 he walked. obviously
You worked on a ringed planet?? Who the hell were your employers? Gman??
Wat
@@paperclip6377 the mice, most likely.
It really makes me think how quickly would earth circle navigating would have happened in a ring earth. I can imagine a world where explores wanted to reach the start of what could have at first be called “The Bow” or “The Arch”. As sailors try to reach the start they end up circumnavigating the earth and realize that not only is the earth round but so is ring.
Hell, I wonder if they would pull a One Piece and navigate until they get right below the ring and then follow the line through the equator.
this sounds awesome.
I love this take, especially since it sounds like “following the rainbow to a pot of gold.” I wonder if that would’ve affected people’s view on people from undiscovered lands. Would we have been nicer to people across the rings? Would they have been the sight to behold we’d have sailed for? Would ships cross paths and be shocked at how one was going south and the other north? Would there be camaraderie among these ring-travelers?
I love to imagine how philosophers staring at the sky would have noted the circular shadow of earth and concluded the world was a sphere long before we even had boats capable of navigating oceans. It's incredible to imagine how the history of science might have changed.
@Raptorclaw62 tbf wasn't it a pretty common belief the Earth was round at that time?
Damn, you outdid yourself this time, Joe! This one is probably one the most interesting pieces of entertainment I've watched in a while. The research, the visualizations, the storytelling, the speculation of cultural impact... every bit of this video is a benchmark for creating content around science and "what if" scenarios. Congratulations, man!!
I have been a fan of this channel for years. And I have to say, this is one of the coolest explorations you've ever done, Joe. Well done, my friend. Well done!
Yes, this was moving.
Absolutely agree. I like worldbuilding considerations like this, tweaks to Terranesque biomes -- mine's usu surface diffs, tho, so this is cool angle! [Hmm, dense rings = high dust/more ions up there, how affect aurorae, sprite lightning? And meteor showers, usu ones & what moon'd cause?...] FUN!!!
Ghtnoutnof my mouth.... Thanks Joe for all the thought provoking videos.
I agree!!!
It never would have occurred to me to explore how rings would affect various cultures in different locations relative to the rings. That was a great addition.
This is amazing for worldbuilding. I was debating if a world I want to make a game(s) about had rings or not, and this is great to know what to look for! Thank you so much!
Playing with the conditions of the planet sounds extremely interesting
There's a lot of potential for worldbuilding with planets with rings. I wish It got explored more
@@rfak7696 I'm deffinately going with it. But I wound up with a green sun, so it's a little basic.
But I didn't realize our sun was green till I realized the similarities between my world and our world.
Same, I've been working out how a planet would be with a ring system for worldbuilding of a novel series I'm planning on writing.
it would provide a lot of good narrative as well as influence gameplay. You'd always know where South/North is, it could illumante the nighttime of your world and in general look beautiful.
I didn't expect to have my D&D and science nerddoms collide today, but here we are. I wonder if Matt ended up here while researching information about moons and other astronomical bodies to inform his world building?
Also, this was an amazing video and I LOVED the effort you went to and the visualisations that were developed. Thank you!
Ooooh, good point!
I was thinking more in the Battletech universe than DnD, but the idea would be cool in either.
Rings would add a degree of difficulty to dropship landings I would hazard to guess.
The Eberron discrod sever brought me here. Someone posted a link to this video. Eberron has a giant ring around it, Ring of Siberys.
Actually, we're pretty lucky to be living at a time when there are spectacular rings like those around Saturn. Some researchers say that rings like those can only last for some tens of millions of years, which is an instant on geological timescales.
Yeah, I kinda wish I'd made a point like that in the video.
So.. What would happen to the rings of Saturn? Would it just become thinner or missing completely from the planet?
@@Voltaphonic yeah it will just get grind to dust.
Some people people associate science with atheism but the more you learn about the universe, the harder it is to not believe in god. This all has to be by design.
@@seth7745No, it really doesn't.
The mythologies that would exist around the rings would be absolutely fascinating. This is such an interesting idea!
Oddly enough, at 6:13, I was so taken aback, and overall shocked, that I actually cried a bit. There's this feeling that you can't really get any other way, where seeing our home, in a state of having rings breaks into your head, and makes you feel just how small you really are. I can't even explain it properly. The visuals were done so amazingly. Good work, Joe & Co.
For me, it was 7:07. The rings from the ground took my breath away. I've never been so giddy to see the earth. I was all emotional. In a happy way.
Man up.
please go outside more often. human adults shouldn't be crying at a youtuber's vfx
Rings around Earth would be an incredible sight, but since ring system don't last indefinitely, we'd have to contend with the larger chunks of the rings surviving entry through the atmosphere. Not sure if I would want to live on/near the equator, as they would tend create a stripe of craters on the earth's surface over time.
On the other hand, the smaller pieces would also create what would look like a non-stop meteor shower, which would also be amazing to watch everyday, as long as it wasn't directly overhead. :)
Interesting point about the (non-existent) ring at the equator, except you are not quite right. Most ring particles that age, would be much more like dust or sand grain sizes than large boulders that might survive to impact the Earth. So the inner ring material (by now) would have burned up in the atmosphere had it fallen to Earth. Plus, while over the equator there would anyway be a Cassini gap in the ring, much like Saturn's ring. In the early life of the ring, there would be debris raining down to Earth, so then you would be right. Lastly a ring around Earth would interfere with satellites; not good.
Beautiful ❤️❤️
I'm wondering if it would be uninhabitable on the equator as there would be no sunlight, it could be a glacial ring around the band of the Earth. No plant life, no creatures would survive. They might be turned to ice... just a thought!
@@neasanicdhomhnaill7112There would still be sunlight as the varying angle of the Earth throughout the year would cause sunlight to slip in below the rings. Other than that though, while I'm sure it would affect the climate, I feel like the natural evening out of air currents distributing heat would prevent an outright glacial wasteland.
Culture wise, i can easily see massive lines in the sky being interpreted in mythology as the roadways that the Gods travel using or a straight track that the Earth rolls down or something like that
Space mining industry could be something very much currently possible if there were literal billions of tons of minerals just out there flying and waiting to be collected
It'd also probably be super controversial due to rings being treated as religious entities (just imagine mining directly under a church or mosque irl)
The mythologies that would come outta this would be WILD
Love the visualisations and your take on weather and culture. I think it would have a huge impact on our culture, we can't even imagine in what way I guess. Awesome video Joe, thanks for sharing!
The Rings would probably be at least one religion up until we invented the telescope and then it wouldn't be a religion anymore. Something that technically would not even be on earth would completely change the entire course of history imo.
@@HalIOfFamerwould their god be called the Lord of the Ring?
They have such a pleasant ring to them! 😅
idk, has any Abrahamic religions ended because there's no giant bearded guy in the clouds? We might, for example, have more "rings" than crucifixes now, but I don't think it would end, no matter what rational explanation came later. Everything in every religion can be interpreted as pure symbolism. We might have more metaphors for curved streaks of color in the sky, but that's the only difference, it takes more than that to end a fully-formed religion.
And yet, somehow, I expect there would still be Flat-Earthers.
I love that you covered not only the physical side, but also the cultural side of the differences between a ringed Earth and a ringless Earth.
Interesting to point out that there was recently a new model put forward that suggested the majority of the debris formed by the Theia collision would have cleared up, and the moon formed its shape for the most part, in a matter of hours or days with a large amount of the impact craters on the moon being from left over debris that stuck around for awhile
To me that's absolutely fascinating, it really brings home how cataclysmic an event it must have been!
You'd also be able to measure how far north or south you were by the angle of elevation of the peak of the rings over the horizon. This would further impact navigation.
I don't usually leave comments on your videos even though I watch them religiously pretty much every night but this one in particular had so much passion and love sprinkled in. The research put into this was so engaging and I wasn't expecting every question I had to be not only answered but visualized on top of that.
Thank you for this vid, Joe. You have no idea how badly I needed this info. I am working on a fantasy novel where the world has rings and have only guessed at the global weather effects thus far. I have guessed a few things correctly except for the disparity of the darkness on lower latitudes during winter. This means I have a whole lot of rewriting to do but it also solves a few world-building gaps I have.
Once again, thanks.
Shit. Good idea! The thought to write a fantasy novel on a ringed planet jumped into my mind during this video. Good luck! I'll read it
I've read almost 1000 books in my 36 years of existing on this rock. If you ever need someone to proofread for you, I'd be happy to help. My favorite book is The Light of Other Days by Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter. I also enjoy eating tater tots if that helps at all 😂
@@aceholepictures Alderia's (The planet's name) main religion is also influenced by the rings. The myth tells a tale of The Twins (the two moons seen as lesser gods) had a sister called Milarka, but out of jealousy they pulled her apart. Now the rings are called Milarka's shroud and shooting stars are called Milarka Tears. In Winter it is said that Alderia mourns the loss of Milarka (Less sunlight and cold) and in the summer her spirit casts a protective shine at night (brighter nights during summertime) keeping never do wells away. The planet also has two calendars split between the north and southern hemispheres to aid in agricultural planning due to the vicious temperature swings with years starting on the exact moment of the equinox (First day of the year is the spring equinox in the northern hemisphere) where the sun cuts the rings on the equator.
Just some world-building tidbits if you like.
You've got me invested. i need to read your story now. @@PrinceAlhorian
I'm gonna need you to tell me the name of that book.
I can imagine people being stocky dwarves, telling time at night via the earths shadow and say stuff like "Feck, it is already half ring!"
this also makes me think of what it would be like if earth was instead a moon that orbited a gas giant with rings.
I remember in a D&D campaign this was the case and once a month the gas giant was between the planet and the sun, creating a "dark day" that evil forces used to do dark rituals
I'd live a video on this concept!
This is perhaps the best video I have seen produced by you and your team! The writing, the visualizations, the speculation, it was all at 100%
Hey Joe, just wanted to say that I had specifically looked up a video "what if the earth had rings" a few months ago because I was curious, but the visualizations you had done were GREAT. Love the work you put into this one, and I have a feeling this will be an evergreen video for you, racking up views for years.
So what you're saying is the earth is divorced?
Yes, yes he is
Fun fact: some time in the distant future, as Saturn's rings begin to dim due to the gradual infall of debris over millions of years, Neptune's moon Triton will pass within the roche limit and be destroyed, resulting in Neptune stealing Saturn's crown as the planet with the most spectacular ring system within our solar system.
If we had rings, we would be wondering how a ringless earth would be… how clear and wide the skies would be, and how many more stars we could see at night.
Finding a ringed Earth-like world in Elite Dangerous (game) is always amazing and very rare. They're usually pretty close to your beautiful renders, just rather less detailed. Great video as always.
Oh yes. After watching those ringed earth renders, I felt compelled to start up ED again, go back into the black and finally tag that elusive ringed ELW that I never managed to catch so far.
This comment makes me sad. I wish space games like Elite Dangerous and Star Citizen were just better. @@theshinken
@techpriestophelia317 I think ED is an amazing feat. Not without a lot of problems but it's still incredible to have it available in our lifetime. SC as well but that's not something for our lifetime but for our grandsons like that church in Barcelona ^^
@theshinken Technically both are great. It's just sad that it feels like a lot of their issues come from poor management.
@@theshinken I feel the same way about Kerbal Space Program :)
This was an educational marvel of a video! Rings would definitely change our weather patterns and seasonal temperatures for sure. Our wildlife , and ourselves, would be different than we are now. Thank you Joe for this amazing theory about the Ringed Earth!
This would be such a cool thing to explore in a sci fi story or something. Everything would be so different if we had rings and thats insane.
and also the effect on jetlag would be even more horrible, on one side it's a dark night, on another side it's a dimly lit night, but yeah, the view would be incredible, imagine you're sitting on a tall building, looking at the night sky with those rings above you, a jawdropping experience...
thank you for this video, Joe 👏🏼 and also thank you for the visuals, those are gorgeous 🥹❤️
Thank you, Joe, for bringing us those dream-like images that no one has ever created. Better than NASA-grade Quality!!!
And your research into what would happen to our seasons and humanity was OUTSTANDING.
Money well spent. It truly adds a lot of value! Thanks Mr Scott.
Finfact, the purplish hue in the eastern sky at sunset and in the west at sunrise is Earth’s shadow
I didn't even think about how easy knowing north and south would be. I loved this super deep dive into the question. Amazing work!
This is absolutely amazing. I can't imagine how much time this took to produce! Thank you for making this, it made my day!
Awesome content as always, Joe! This one in particular! I think it would be awesome to see more “what if” videos much like this one that explores hypothetical variations of our world and how it can impact everything from religion, culture, and overall evolution of civilizations in general.
It actually has some Kurtzgesagt feel to it, just in a longer format and without birds.
14:43
The days the ring disconnect and reconnect would be pivotal.
It would symbolize the change between summer and winter, light and dark, heat and cold.
A sci-fi writer would have immense food for thought, watching this video.
4:55 - I've just learnt a new way of telling people to get their act together - "Would you please Moon up?!"
I shudder at the thought of some random dude in marketing thinking "we could project ads on the rings"
Easily one of the most fascinating science videos I've seen in a while. I never considered what rings will do to our weather and our seasons. Fantastic job to both you and your entire team, including the visual artist who developed all those great images/videos!
I've been binge watching (and sharing) your channel for the past few months, but man, this is the first time that I've felt compelled to leave a comment. What a wonderful view would be the Earth with rings! Thank you so much for this video.
You can tell he put a lot of time and effort into this one.
Thanks so much for all the research and time you put into this video, Joe!
Joe I love your videos and this one is no exception. I'm constantly amazed at how seamlessly you blend poetics and hard science together into something both informative and entertaining. Thank you ad always and keep up the great content. 😊
Those visuals of the ringed Earth are beautiful! Kudos to the artist(s)!
Dear Joe, I have been enjoying watching your videos for more years than I can keep track of... I want you to know how thankful I am for having you as one of the most important teachers in my life. Your way of mixing straight facts with interesting theories and thought experiments has strengthened my joy and excitement for learning.
I think i speak for more people than just myself when I say this:
Thank you, Joe..
Thank you for everything.
Just remember, that social media influencers will never be a real substitute for your actual teachers.
@@raidermaxx2324 You do realize actual professors make youtube videos too
@@raidermaxx2324 sorry dude but those experts are the same ones that forced a untested vaccine on the entire world. These guys have been more right than your science proffesors recently.😅
@@camelliaharpdarkthrope6462you do realize the original comment was written by an AI right?
He's looking anemic, im a lil worried about him..😬
If the Earth had rings, then this video would be titled "What would happen if the Earth had no rings?"
😂😂lol
i have been researching for a while about rings, as I like writing/drawing and the idea of life on a ringed planet is really food for inspiration. So I'm really glad I was able to find this video! Just what I needed!
0:06 pardon the Poughkeepsie Civic Center? As in the Mid-Hudson Civic Center? THAT Civic Center? God it's so weird hearing references to my hometown in giant UA-cam videos with hundreds of thousands of views. That civic center does kick ass.
PK represent lol
that reference gave me whiplash
Firstly, thank you for still being the same quality channel that you have been from the beginning. Seriously. You and your channel have not changed, but you have evolved and take steps to raise up an already respectable and respectful channel, again, since Day 1.
Secondly, I just wanted to say that you are, without a doubt, the guy who would go to a seminar or convention to see or hear someone else speak or what have you, and if I was at that same event, I would hopefully hear about it, and would seek you out so i could shake your hand and maybe chat for a minute, if not longer. I'd seek you out before the top bill on the event. Because of your friendly insightfulness. You have an ability to glean wisps of "what ifs", and other people's views and and ideas, and incorporate them into your own deliveries. You do it in the most friendly way, and you seem approachable, as a human and, approachable with ideas. You understand how whimsy and woo-woo maybe just that, but without the fantasizing and creativity of thoughts and science, we wouldn't find anything new. We'd never get to the next step that, for today is out of reach, but tomorrow will be a rung we have pulled ourselves up on. You, and your team, deliver such great quality and passion that you even include tangent cam, which I love, because it shows that there is always SO MUCH MORE you could include, but there are only so many hours in a day. That right there is passion. It's like the pure joy in a child's rantings about their favorite toy or superhero, but as an adult. You are essentially the superhero, and your powers are, thought, logic, creativity, science and life, and you shoot photon beams and sound waves FULL of the stuff, into our eyes and ears, in the form of "Answers With Joe". Thank you. I love how truly human you are.
Wow, that is an incredibly nice thing to say, thank you. :)
The fact that my little musings touch others in this way just makes me feel like maybe we're all taking similar journeys. And if we're all so similar in this world, maybe we'll be all right.
(07:35) _“It´s at night that things really get interesting.“_
Although not pertaining to rings, around Earth or anywhere else, your statement makes me think of the awe and fascination I felt as a young lad, whilst deep in the desert (and its clear air without the “light pollution“ implicit when proximal to urban development) during the darkest of dark nights, when I was very startled to realize that the Milky Way is _clearly_ visible to the naked eye -- a white “cloud“ spanning horizon to horizon.
A _gigantic_ ring! No one had ever told this city boy that this is so!
We’re actually located in one of the Milky Way’s “arms, about halfway out from the center
This is top tier UA-cam! The concept, the many perspectives, the beautiful visuals, everything!! Adding it to my favorites rn
I think this is one of the best if not the best video you have created since you started around 2016. Way to go. Great job!
This is pure gold for a Sci-Fi writer.
Regarding leaving a ringed Earth, there's a relatively simple way to get around that - just slightly incline your orbit while transferring from below the rings to above them. The Apollo missions had to do that to reduce the amount of time spent in the Van Allen Belts anyway (and also to match the Moon's inclination relative to the Earth, which is honestly the main reason more than anything and not spending time in the Van Allen belts was more of a beneficial side effect), having actual rings just means that everything going past the ring boundary has to do that whether it's manned or not.
Anyway, one effect Earth having rings would have on space exploration is that it would provide a source of materials beyond orbit, which would be EXTREMELY useful for constructing spacecraft and space stations. Imagine, once the technology is available, that instead of having to send every piece of a space station up preassembled from the surface, you could just launch the station core, some production facilities and some unmanned mining craft and build the whole station just off of one launch.
As someone who’s been obsessed with educational science videos on UA-cam (I frequent PBS Space Time, Steve Mould, Action Lab, NileRed, etc), this was a very welcomed discovery.
Not only was it entertaining to see the visual representations of what could be, but also there’s just something about the narration and the mindset being portrayed by the end that I found myself smiling. A ringed Earth could be cool, but the fact that we’re here today on this Earth to experience what we actually have is something we shouldn’t overlook. Life is an incredibly rare and complex thing and we just happen to be one of the ones to witness and document it in this enormous universe.
If the earth had rings someone would have figured out how to put advertisements on them by now
Seriously Joe. Most visually amazing video I’ve ever seen on a “what if” topic. So neat to see an ideal I had never considered put to video so well.
i dont know if the earth would've'd oceans back during the moons formation, since thats the only time id guess earth could've'd rings, they would've been destabilized by the debris that made the moon though.@@Quickcat21MK
I’m working on a fantasy setting with Sci-fi elements. This is very helpful
Same! Goodluck bro
This is probably the most well put together video about this topic. Great job!
This is the first video of yours that I've watched. I'll definitely be watching more! Thanks for the entertaining and educational video, this was a really cool idea and you clearly spent a lot of time and effort researching this.
This was fascinating! Loved all the images of what the rings could look like both from space and especially from different points on the globe. I really appreciate the work you put into this.
And one of the biggest changes is that there will be online videographers who speculate how the world would be like if there were no rings.
lol true. Hey Steven 👋
Lol😊
Been working on a project with a ringed planet. This was very informative! Good job!
I'm in the middle of writing a book about a world with large, day- & night-visible rings. I thought of several of the things you brought up, but the seasonal shading idea hadn't occurred to me. I like that aspect of it! Definitely going to incorporate it. Thank you. Navigation and timekeeping are aspects I already included, as well as far less dependence on artificial light at night for the temperate latitudes. And the light-pollution-like effect on the visibility of low-apparent-magnitude stars. Cultures in the high-reflected-light bands would be able to read at night in the summer, but might think stars in the sky are migratory things - high-altitude, glowing birds or some such. I'll definitely be adding in harsher ring-shadow-winters, regardless of what else I incorporate.
And don't forget how different the sky would look for people travelling. Assuming the main cultures live in the same areas as we do, travelling to the equator or to the poles would be mind-shattering. Not so much about the rings---you see their position shifting slowly while travelling, so them becoming a very narrow band overhead or dipping under the horizon wouldn't be unexpected---but the rest of the sky would (especially at the poles) suddenly be filled with millions and billions tiny lights you had never seen before.
And the darkness! Someone who grew up under the rings' eternal light suddenly standing under an open sky with tiny specs of light, but around them, the world is dark like a cave... (It wouldn't be for us, but people who evolved in a world where it's never truly dark wouldn't have the same night vision we do. They would instead be much better at seeing in dim light but not in near darkness. Eyes may even be a genetic difference in that world, like skin colour, depending on how habitable the pole regions are.)
Imagine if the Rings and planet were tidally locked to the local star, one hemisphere in perpetual light with eternal temperate weather, the other in perpetual darkness and unending extreme cold. You could basically justify dual evolutionary paths on the same planet, where you have Summer vs Winter peoples with massively different characteristics.
I loved this video. Taking a fantastical idea and trying to attempt a nuts and bolts physics explanation to how it would work always intrigues me. I suppose that’s why I like comics, science fiction and mythology. Well done you.
Rings would look incredible, but I’m a huge sucker for the moon. It’s beautiful. Keep the awesome vids coming Joe!
With enough mass drivers on the moon we could have both...
@@williamchamberlain2263 You have a point 😂
I think since the rings would have formed together with threw moon, they would be in the same plane, which would make the movements and seasons even more complicated
This Video was so damn well structered and intresting that i was really sad when it ended - at the same time it only felt like a 7 Minute Video! Awesome job!
Very cool video, Joe.
Rocket money is a good idea in concept, but I am extrememly wary about adding an external entity with such comprehensive knowledge of my financial details.
I see it as a potential security risk. They had better be more than bullet proof!
All hail Zoe!
I'm with you. There are many personal info/financial security companies out there which sound like a good idea... until they get hacked.
There are no prices online showing what Premium costs. You have to fully sign up, to include adding a bank account or credit card, BEFORE they provide you any details on what the service will eventually cost. I went to the help chat/bot (no live person available for an hour) and it just kept recycling me back to sign up pages or other non-useful "information" pages.
I sent Joe an email saying how disappointed I was he endorsed them as a sponsor. All slick web interfaces, no customer service or consideration UNTIL they get all your data. Not good.
what do you think about Wealthfront?
@@sterlingmullett6942wow that's bad
This proves there's a God! 🙏
I just came across this channel and let me say that I’m a huge fan of the universe and this video just put a new chapter on my love for the universe. So thank you for sharing and the work you’ve put into this video!!
I love your videos. Also, whoever edits these, wow! Great job!
Very interesting. I loved all of the different issues you brought up and when you mentioned our seasons being longer and more extreme. This had me wondering if that would partially explain snowball Earth as the planet would have been surrounded by debris before it coalesced into rings.
Of course, my next thought was how "what goes up must come down" and that would have also made life different or pretty seeing it come down. Our ancestors having to play celestial dodgeball.
Joe I love this kind of stuff! I've always wished people would make visualizations of situations like this to give an idea of what it would actually be like to experience. Just reveling in the beauty of what if. Great work!
It's hard to contemplate how much work goes into all your videos. They're fantastic.
i have to admit i cant live without your weekly video. i really hope you come back soon to post another great weekly video before i died....
13:23 "My arms aren't long enough" really made me chuckle, imagine having 40,000km long hands.
Whatever that art cost was worth it.
I'm a patron, i can say that lol
This was amazing! Easily one of your best videos yet.
Good job to all involved, and especially the guy that did the animations.
wow this is a really good video, I love that you showed what it might look like, and even discussed the possible sociocultural effects, rather than just launching into the "why earth wouldn't have rings" speech immediately and leaving it there
This is one of the most interesting and creative video I found on UA-cam in a long time .....keep up the good work.....good luck
Aweome and interesting video again, Joe! I would love to see rings in our night sky, but they would also make the life we're used to so incredibly different.
By the way! Matt Mercer joining your Patreon is sooo cool.
That was an incredible video, Joe!! I’m impressed by how well you captured all the different angles and complexities of planetary rings.
The coolest thing to me is how different the rings look from different areas on earth.
“We’d not only be used to it, we would have been created by it.” is a surprisingly profound statement!
This is an amazing video! You and your crew are fantastic, you have always been, but it shows a bit more in Joe Scott 2.0 since you changed your studio and overall "ways" :) I really appreciate this video, since it's something I've been thinking about fairly often since I heard that the earth used to have rings - just like you stated that you have done. It's a fascinating subject that you made digestible and incredibly visually appealing. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
In these crazy, busy, stressful times, thank you for making a video that filled me with awe and wonder.
So we could basically tell time by the earth's shadow on the ring. That would be absolutely amazing!
Now THIS is a Joe Scott video! Since you had a studio/channel remodel, you kind of steered away from science topics which drew me (and other people, judging by the reaction to this vid) to this channel. This is definetely a great and super interesting video, and it has that "tangent cam" flair that we all love. Keep it up Joe!
Joe, your channel is wonderful. But I love this specific video SO much. I love the visuals of the rings from standing on Earth in different locations! That was so cool! And I love your thoughts on how it would have affected society and seasons. Thank you for all the work you did in this (and all your videos).
There's a reality with this version of Earth. In that reality, that version of this channel would have a video titled, "What would happen if the Earth didn't have rings?" where they described the Earth as we know it and the people of that reality would watch it and be amazed or say that's just speculation or something.
You could also make a horror movie about the rings, and for the sake of making it easy, the movie could just simply be called "The Ring".
I've always wondered about this. Glad to have some insight on how things would actually work.
This would be an amazing Sci-fi idea.
Keep up the great content.
This is going down as one of my favorite Answers with Joe ever. Educational and still wildly entertaining, as always
This is the first time I find your channel and this video is super high quality!!
Great video, definitely something I had never considered. Just subbed as a result of the good work, now to poke through your backlog.
Amazing video Joe, thank you.
This would have greatly changed early map making and especially early ocean navigation. Humans probably would have spread out more quickly. It's really amazing to think about it that way.