Why do planets like Saturn have rings?

Are they solid like the CD you used to make your model? Or are they made of many particles dancing in formation around the planet? 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. False color rings. read more

An image of Saturn taken by the Cassini spacecraft. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute Scientists have ideas about why Saturn has rings, but no one knows for sure. read more

The rings around Saturn are the largest and the brightest of all of the planets, spanning 175,000 miles! To give you an idea of how big that is, it is almost three quarters of the distance between the earth and the moon. read more

Although the other gas giants in the solar system — Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune — also have rings, those of Saturn are without a doubt the most extraordinary. Physical characteristics of Saturn Saturn is a gas giant made up mostly of hydrogen and helium. read more

SATURN RINGS. The simplest answer as to why Saturn has rings and what they are made of is that the planet has accumulated a great deal of dust, particles, and ice at varying distances from its surface. These items are most likely trapped by gravity. The rings appear because of the wavelengths of light reflected by these rings of debris. read more