A number of icy rings are known today around giant planets and some minor Solar System bodies. However, our profound lack of knowledge about what are those rings, how they form, and what are their lifetimes powers strong controversies.
Are rings long-lived or transient features? What is the relation between rings and moons? Are rings common in other planetary systems? Around which kinds of objects can we find them?
The MRT project (Moons and Rings in Taiwan) at NTNU aims to advance on these questions from the perspective of rings demographics in the Solar System.
The existence of ring systems around small Solar System bodies gives us the opportunity of gathering many instances of rings, enabling statistical studies of their properties and natural evolution processes.