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Planet Phileas, similar in size to Earth. Fourth star in a binary star system with a p-type orbit.

Changes may be necessary and I'm open to constructive criticism. This question includes two parts. Mainly could this planet withhold a stable orbit of rings, and if so what material would the rings be made of to avoid damage to the planet and spacecraft that leave it? I was considering ice but this planet is habitable to humanoids, so I'm not entirely sure if it's far enough to keep the ice cold. The rings would preferably be on the thin side unless this prevents a stable orbit.

Even a brief explanation would be desirable, not everything must be explained nor possible by science, nonetheless I would like a tad of realism. If this is too unrealistic I'll remove it. :)

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  • $\begingroup$ What is a "stable orbit of rings"? $\endgroup$
    – AlexP
    Commented Feb 13, 2023 at 20:59
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    $\begingroup$ Rings that remain steady orbiting the planet! An unstable orbit of rings could cause some of it to be pulled in by the planet's gravity causing dangerous impacts. I'd like my civilizations to be as safe as possible and if necessary will provide the necessary precautions if impact is imminent. $\endgroup$
    – raevynn
    Commented Feb 13, 2023 at 21:07
  • $\begingroup$ Rings are intrinsically unstable over long time scales (hundreds of millions of years). I guess it depends on the time scale that you are interested in. And material is continuously being from the rings, with some if it impacting the planet. That is the nature of the beast. $\endgroup$
    – AlexP
    Commented Feb 13, 2023 at 21:13
  • $\begingroup$ This is acceptable. The time scale I'm interested in isn't entirely long, as in the future my system takes place in if a planet is deemed dangerous a new one can easily be constructed towards habitability. I don't mind small impact at all and I have a general idea for a precaution that will keep intelligent life safe, I only want to avoid large scale impacts that could destroy whole cities. $\endgroup$
    – raevynn
    Commented Feb 13, 2023 at 21:15

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Rings can form around even dwarf planets.

A recent article in USA today, Dwarf planet Quaoar has a ring instead of a moon, and scientists don't know why. The ring is significantly outside the Roche limit and so the mechanics of why the material exists as a ring instead of consolidating into a moon is not known. A similar ring around a larger world would not be out of the question (and especially so, if located within the Roche limit), though your world likely could not have a moon as massive as our Moon.

As to the material that the ring is made of, it doesn't matter. You could have it made of puffy marshmallows and it would do serious (likely fatal) damage to any spacecraft that passed through it. Any spacecraft launched from the planet would need to avoid the ring.

As to damage to the planet, ring material is likely to be primarily composed of small items that will burn up as they enter the atmosphere. So likely more "shooting stars", but not many more meteorites that would reach the ground.

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  • $\begingroup$ Thank you for the answer and reference. According to what you've informed me, if I go by this logic could my planet still have several moons, even if they're significantly smaller than ours? And regarding spacecraft, would the results be different if the spacecraft wasn't launched near the equator? This can be explained due to lower gravity or more powerful technology if needed. $\endgroup$
    – raevynn
    Commented Feb 14, 2023 at 3:00
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    $\begingroup$ @raevynn Depending on the distance from the planet, avoiding the rings shouldn't be an issue. A probe at Saturn (Cassini, I think) actually did a pass through one of the gaps in those rings with no impacts. The rings will be relatively thin and mostly confined to a specific orbital space. Also, most launches from Earth are not from the Equator. $\endgroup$
    – Michael Richardson
    Commented Feb 14, 2023 at 15:39

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