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mfb- t1_j7tu5oi wrote

Over time rings will always get aligned with the rotation axis of the planet because all other configurations are unstable. That means all rings will be in the same plane. Very short-term you can have debris in other orbits but that won't form a nice ring. Here is a video explaining why.

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Krail t1_j7x0u6d wrote

Do artificial satellites also experience this tendency to be pushed into equatorial orbit?

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mfb- t1_j7x25gx wrote

This tendency relies on repeated collisions so it doesn't apply on the timescale of us doing spaceflight. An individual satellite keeps its inclination. If we launch so many that they will all collide with something and produce tons of dust then this dust will tend to accumulate in an equatorial orbit in the distant future (in regions where atmospheric drag doesn't deorbit it first).

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