How many rings are around the planet Saturn?

Saturn has four main groups of rings and three fainter, narrower ring groups. These groups are separated by gaps called divisions. Close up views of Saturn's rings by the Voyager spacecrafts, which flew by them in 1980 and 1981, showed that these seven ring groups are made up of thousands of smaller rings. read more

That’s 3 main rings and 5 dusty rings for a total of 8 rings, 9 if you count the Cassini Division. But there are even more rings around Saturn. There’s the Janus Ring, the Methone Ring Arc, the Anthe Ring Arc and the Pallene Ring, as well as the Roche Division. 4 more rings and another division. That brings us to 12 rings and 2 divisions. read more

The largest ring spans up to 7,000 times the diameter of the planet. The rings are believed to be debris left over from comets, asteroids or shattered moons. (A 2016 study also suggested the rings may be the carcasses of dwarf planets.) Although they extend thousands of miles from the planet, the main rings are typically only about 30 feet thick. read more

Four robotic spacecraft from Earth have visited Saturn—Pioneer 11, Voyager 1, Voyager 2 and Cassini. They have revealed many surprising things about Saturn's rings. read more