How Did Saturn Get Its Rings?

Astronomers have learned a lot about Saturn's rings since Galileo discovered the ringed planet, but there's still many mysteries to be solved.

By Alison Klesman and Anna Funk
Dec 17, 2019 10:00 PMDec 18, 2019 4:22 PM
Saturn Backlit - NASA
Here, the ringed planet shows a side never visible from Earth. Cassini took 96 backlit photos for this mosaic on April 13, 2017. Because the sun shines through the rings, the thinnest parts glow brightest, and the thicker rings are dark. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Jan Regan)

Newsletter

Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news
 

Astronomers know a lot about Saturn’s ring system. They’ve known about it for centuries, ever since Galileo first spotted it with his telescope in 1610. It’s made out of ice and rock particles, some as big as a minivan. And the rings are super flat, like a razor-thin CD that’s 170,000 miles across, but only a couple dozen yards thick.

NASA has explored them, first with the Pioneer and Voyager probes, and more recently, with the Cassini mission. Cassini spent more than a decade circling Saturn, and as its final act, dove between the planet and its rings. It got an awesome new measurement of the planet’s gravitational field, which gave astronomers new info on the mass of the planet and its rings.

But despite all that, there’s still lots we don’t know. Like, how old are Saturn’s rings? And how did they form?

0 free articles left
Want More? Get unlimited access for as low as $1.99/month

Already a subscriber?

Register or Log In

0 free articlesSubscribe
Discover Magazine Logo
Want more?

Keep reading for as low as $1.99!

Subscribe

Already a subscriber?

Register or Log In

Stay Curious

Sign up for our weekly newsletter and unlock one more article for free.

 

View our Privacy Policy


Want more?
Keep reading for as low as $1.99!


Log In or Register

Already a subscriber?
Find my Subscription

More From Discover
Recommendations From Our Store
Shop Now
Stay Curious
Join
Our List

Sign up for our weekly science updates.

 
Subscribe
To The Magazine

Save up to 40% off the cover price when you subscribe to Discover magazine.

Copyright © 2023 Kalmbach Media Co.