It may come as a surprise, but Saturn, which boasts the largest and most dazzling rings in our solar system, is actually losing them at a faster rate than previously estimated.

The rings of Saturn consist mainly of ice and rock fragments that are continuously bombarded by the Sun's UV radiation and small meteoroids in the vicinity.

During such collisions, the ice particles composing Saturn's rings vaporize, forming charged water molecules that interact with the planet's magnetic field before ultimately descending onto the planet's surface as a form of precipitation.

As per data gathered by NASA's Cassini spacecraft in 2017, the process is occurring rapidly.

The precipitation of the 'ring rain' is occurring at an astounding rate of 10,000 kilograms per second.

It might be difficult to imagine, but as Insider highlights, the rate is comparable to filling two Olympic-sized swimming pools every hour.

The concept of 'ring rain' and the notion of Saturn's vanishing rings were first discovered by NASA's Voyager mission in the 1980s.

At that time, it was estimated that it would take approximately 300 million years for the rings to completely disintegrate. However, information gathered by Cassini revealed a significantly accelerated rate.

If you're finding it difficult to picture Saturn without its iconic rings, don't worry. While the process is occurring faster than initially anticipated, it is still happening at a relatively slow rate.

Experts predict that it will take around 100 million years before the rings completely disappear, which is likely to be long after our time.

It was recently confirmed that Saturn has entered its 'spoke season', a phenomenon that occurs approximately every 15 years, during which prominent marks, known as 'spokes' by NASA, emerge on the planet's rings.

Despite being identified in the 1980s, NASA has yet to determine the precise cause of these features.

Recent photographs from the Hubble Telescope reveal that 'spoke season' is currently taking place, and researchers are optimistic that these new images will provide them with a more comprehensive comprehension of the phenomenon's underlying mechanisms.

According to Amy Simon, a planetary scientist at NASA: "Thanks to Hubble's OPAL program, which is building an archive of data on the outer solar system planets, we will have longer dedicated time to study Saturn's spokes this season than ever before."