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Why is there a ring around the planet Saturn?

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There are also gaps in the rings. Artist's concept of Cassini diving between Saturn and its innermost ring. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech. The Cassini spacecraft arrived at Saturn in July 2004. It orbited Saturn for 13 years, studying Saturn, its rings, and its moons much more thoroughly than the earlier spacecraft could. read more

However, Saturn has the lowest density of all the planets, and is the only one less dense than water — if there were a bathtub big enough to hold it, Saturn would float. The yellow and gold bands seen in Saturn's atmosphere are the result of super-fast winds in the upper atmosphere, which can reach up to 1,100 mph (1,800 km/h) around its equator, combined with heat rising from the planet's interior. read more

Canup's "shaved ice" theory does the trick. "She has come up with a very clever way to explain the ring's composition," Esposito told Life's Little Mysteries. The new theory can't explain everything zipping around Saturn, though, such as the small moons that dot the rings' outskirts. read more

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