This image of Saturn and its rings was taken by Voyager 1 in 1980. Click on image for full size (24K JPG) Courtesy of NASA

Many people are fascinated by Saturn's rings. Although Saturn isn't the only planet with rings, it is the only planet famous for them. Almost every image or drawing of the planet has the rings included. Even with their popularity, few people know much about them or why they are there.

Saturn's rings are made mostly of ice and rock particles. They look like one wide, colorful band, but they are actually well defined, smaller bands. The particles range in size from a couple centimeters to over a kilometer in size.

The rings are very thin. Although they reach diameters in the hundred thousands kilometers, they are no more than 1.5 km thick. So how can such a thin layer of ice pieces be so beautiful? The ice creates a rainbow effect much like a sprinkler does in the sun. The Sun's rays are refracted by the frozen water, giving us a colorful display!

This image of Saturn and its rings was taken by Voyager 1 in 1980. Click on image for full size (24K JPG) Courtesy of NASA

Many people like Saturn's rings. Although Saturn isn't the only planet with rings, it is the only planet famous for them. Almost every image or drawing of the planet has the rings included. But few people know much about them or why they are there.

Saturn's rings are made mostly of ice and rock pieces. It looks like one big band, but is actually many smaller bands combined. The particles range in size from a couple centimeters to over a kilometer in size.

The rings are very thin. Although they reach diameters in the hundred thousands kilometers, they are no more than 1.5 km thick. So how can such a thin layer of ice pieces be so beautiful? The ice creates a rainbow effect much like a sprinkler does in the sun. The Sun's rays are refracted by the frozen water, giving us a colorful display!

This image of Saturn and its rings was taken by Voyager 1 in 1980. Click on image for full size (24K JPG) Courtesy of NASA

Have you ever seen a picture of Saturn's rings? If you have ever seen a picture of Saturn, it's likely you saw its rings too! The rings are very pretty and many colors. They circle around the middle of the planet.

The rings are made of chunks of ice and rock. They come in many different sizes and shapes. The rings are very thin sheets, and there are lots of them! Light from the Sun shines on the ice, giving the rings their color.