Whether browsing through pictures on the Internet or looking through your own telescope, one of the most iconic images in space are the rings of Saturn.

According to a new study that was published in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Earth may have once had rings as well.

The study says that Earth’s ring system likely formed about 466 million years ago and may have lasted for tens of millions of years.

The rings could have formed when a large asteroid passed close but did not hit the Earth. When an object comes within a planet’s Roche limit, the tidal forces of the planet will begin to pull the object apart.

As it deteriorates, the remains spread out around the planet, forming rings.

This research is based on studying 21 meteor impact points that are spread around the Earth’s equator in an area that is much too narrow to be random, the researchers say. As the asteroid broke apart, larger pieces would have likely come down to Earth impacting the area below the rings.

Lead Author Andy Tomkins is a geologist at Australia’s Monash University and published an essay in the Converstation:

“Under normal circumstances, asteroids hitting Earth can hit at any latitude, at random, as we see in craters on the Moon, Mars and Mercury. So it’s extremely unlikely that all 21 craters from this period would form close to the equator if they were unrelated to one another. We would expect to see many other craters at higher latitudes as well.”

In addition to explaining the impact sites found around the equator, scientists also say that this even could be the explanation for the Hirnantian Icehouse event, which is a time of cooling in Earth’s history.

Tomkins commented on this possibility, saying:

“The idea that a ring system could have influenced global temperatures adds a new layer of complexity to our understanding of how extra-terrestrial events may have shaped Earth’s climate.”

Continued research will undoubtedly be needed, and while the rings weren’t likely as brilliant as those on Saturn it would still have been an incredible sight to see, especially from Earth.

Rings around Earth would have been amazing.

If you thought that was interesting, you might like to read about a second giant hole has opened up on the sun’s surface. Here’s what it means.