Each of the planets in our solar system is unique, and for the casual astronomer, there is always something about them that stands out in memory. Jupiter has its size and its red dot. Venus stands out as being very similar to Earth in size and for its incredible atmosphere. Saturn, of course, is the planet with rings.

Well, Saturn may not be the only one that stands out because of its rings for much longer.

A new study published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics has found that one of the two moons of Mars, Phobos, is going to break apart and form rings around the red planet much sooner than previously expected.

It has long been known that Phobos orbits Mars well within what is called the Roche Limit, which is the distance away from a planet where its gravity is so strong that it can tear it apart. And it is getting a little closer each year (only about 1.8 centimeters per year, but still).

If Phobos were made of water or other liquids, it would have already been destroyed because its orbit is only 2.76 Martian radii away from Mars itself, on average. That means that just 2.76 of the planet Mars could fit between Mars and Phobos.

When Phobos reaches 2.03 Martian radii, it will begin seriously breaking apart and forming rings around the planet, according to the study.

In easier-to-understand terms, the moon only has to move 6682 kilometers (4276 miles) closer to Mars to be destroyed. In terms of planets and moons, that is not far at all.

So, how long does Phobos have? Only about 94 million years.

Ok, so it still has some life in front of it, but that is a lot less time than previous estimates held. The change is due largely to the fact that the evidence used in the study suggests that Phobos is not as solid as previously thought.

Rather than being a tightly held together rocky moon like our own, it is more like loosely held together gravel. This means it will come apart much more easily, and therefore it will take a lot less gravity to end it.

Don’t worry, though, if you’re still around in 94 million years, that isn’t truly the end of Phobos. It will simply turn into rings around the red planet. After millions (or maybe billions) more years, those rings will likely reform into a moon once again.

It is believed that in many cases, rings around a planet come together to form a moon only to be pulled apart once again. With each cycle, more of the material gets sucked down into the planet itself, so the moon gets smaller and smaller each time.

Life for objects in space may be long, but they can also be quite violent.

If you enjoyed this post, check out this story about an amateur astronomer who spotted a tiny galaxy made up of just 40 stars.