Jan 2, 2010

Science Fact Finder | Space - Which Planets Have Rings?

Which planets have rings?

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune all have rings. Jupiter's rings were discovered by the interplanetary space probe Voyager 1 in March 1979. The rings extend 80,240 miles (129,130 kilometers) from the center of the planet. They are about 4,300 miles (7,000 kilometers) wide and less than 20 miles (30 kilometers) thick. A faint inner ring is believed to extend to the edge of Jupiter's atmosphere.

Saturn has the largest, most spectacular set of rings in the solar system. Saturn's rings were first recognized by Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens (1629-1695) in 1659 and were examined in detail by the Voyager I and Voyager 2 missions in 1980 and 1981. Saturn's rings are about 41,168 miles (66,400 kilometers) wide and 169,800 miles (273,200 kilometers) in diameter, but less than 10 miles (16 kilometers) thick. There are six different rings, the largest of which appears...

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