What are Saturn’s rings made of?

Before knowing about the rings of Saturn, let us learn few things about Saturn itself.

What is Saturn?

• Saturn is the sixth planet from the sun in our solar system.
• It is the second-largest planet, after Jupiter.
• Saturn is most famous because of its ring system.

Why does Saturn have rings?

• There are multiple theories, put forward by many different scientists, as an answer to this question.
• Irrespective of theories, the reason remains the same. The fact is, Saturn is a giant planet with very large gravitational force which makes the escape of elements or debris from the planet practically impossible.
• One theory states that the rings around Saturn are made up of debris and particles from bygone moons which was attracted to Saturn due to its gravitational force and has been orbiting around it since then.
• Another theory states that the rings around Saturn have formed because of the moon that earlier used to rotate around it, but got stuck in the gravitational pull of Saturn causing it to break up into multiple pieces.

What are Saturn’s rings made up of?

• There are many theories related to the rings of Saturn. Yet the material that comprises these rings have been observed to be ice particle and rock particles. These particles are of various different shapes and size.
• Some of the particle can be as small as a grain of rice or some can be as big as building.
• From a far away, it looks like there are about seven rings around Saturn. However, this number isn’t exactly accurate. On closer look, we observe that each large ring is made up of smaller rings also called ringlets.
• Saturn’s rings are very thin with about 30 to 300 feet thickness.
• There is only one moon that rotates around the Earth. However, Saturn has about 90 moons around it with 53 moons officially named!

Fun Facts:

1. Saturn is so large that more than 700 Eartha can fit into Saturn.
2. If you want to cover an average ring by car, it would take about a week to travel the whole distance.
3. The latest spacecraft sent by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) to study Saturn is named Cassini.

Additional Questions:

1. How many rings does Saturn have?
2. Explain the formation and composition of Saturn’s rings.
3. How many moons does Saturn have?

True or False:

1. Saturn is the seventh planet from the Sun.
2. Saturn is the third-largest planet in our solar system.
3. Saturn does not have any rings.
4. Rings are made up of hot water.
5. There is just one ring around Saturn.

Objective Quiz:

1. Saturn is _______ largest planet in our solar system.
   1. First.
   2. Second.
   3. Fourth.
   4. Sixth.
2. ________ is the largest planet of our solar system.
   1. Jupiter.
   2. Earth.
   3. Mercury.
   4. Venus.
3. Saturn has ___________ around it.
   1. A very small gravitational force.
   2. A very large gravitational force.
   3. No gravitational force.
   4. None of the above.
4. Saturn’s rings are made up of ________.
   1. Ice and rock particles.
   2. Ice particles.
   3. Rock particles.
   4. All of the above.
5. The small rings that make up a large ring are known as ______.
   1. Ringlets.
   2. Moonlets.
   3. Droplets.
   4. All of the above.