Saturn’s Rings
Saturn’s rings stretch hundreds of thousands of kilometres, yet in most places they are only about as thick as a three-storey house is tall.
What’s going on
The rings are billions of separate pieces of ice and rock, from dust grains to chunks as big as a house, each orbiting Saturn like a tiny moon. The ring system reaches up to 282,000 kilometres from the planet, yet the main rings, A, B and C, are typically only about 10 metres thick. Roughly every 15 years Earth lines up with their edge, and they almost vanish from view.
Myth
Saturn’s rings are one solid disc.
Fact
They are countless separate pieces, and each ring travels around Saturn at its own speed.
Learn more
NASA Science, “Saturn: Facts” (science.nasa.gov/saturn/facts).
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