Rings of Saturn

- (en) Rings of Saturn
- (be-tarask) Кольцы Сатурна
- (bo) སྤེན་པའི་གདུབ་ཀོར
- (ca) Anells de Saturn
- (cs) Prstence Saturnu
- (de) Saturnringe
- (el) Δακτύλιοι του Κρόνου
- (es) Anillos de Saturno
- (fi) Saturnuksen renkaat
- (fr) Anneaux de Saturne
- (he) טבעות שבתאי
- (it) Anelli di Saturno
- (ja) 土星の衛星と環#環
- (ko) 토성의 고리
- (lt) Saturno žiedai
- (ms) Gelang Zuhal
- (nn) Saturnringane
- (pl) Pierścienie Saturna
- (pt) Anéis de Saturno
- (ru) Кольца Сатурна
- (simple) Rings of Saturn
- (sk) Prstence Saturna
- (sl) Saturnovi obroči
- (stq) Ringe fon Saturn
- (sv) Saturnus ringar
- (th) วงแหวนของดาวเสาร์
- (tr) Satürn'ün halkaları
- (uk) Кільця Сатурна
- (zh) 土星環

Full[edit]
The full set of main rings, imaged as Saturn eclipsed the sun from the vantage of the Cassini spacecraft on September 15, 2006 (brightness is exaggerated). The "pale blue dot" at the 10 o'clock position, outside the main rings and just inside the G Ring, is Earth.
Historical[edit]
Galileo Galilei's sketches in 1610 and 1616
Robert Hooke noted the shadows (a and b) cast by both the globe and the rings on each other in this 1666 drawing of Saturn.
Christiaan Huygens sketched the gap later to be named the Cassini Division, 1676
Simulated views[edit]
A simulated image using color to present radio occultation-derived information on ring particle sizes.
Subdivisions[edit]
A Ring[edit]
Keeler Gap[edit]
Waves in the Keeler gap edges induced by the passage of Daphnis.
Near Saturn's equinox, Daphnis and its waves cast shadows on the A Ring.
Encke Gap[edit]
The central ringlet of the A ring's Encke Gap coincides with Pan’s orbit, implying its particles oscillate in horseshoe orbits.
Cassini Division[edit]
Huygens Gap[edit]
B Ring[edit]
Maxwell Gap[edit]
C Ring[edit]
Colombo Gap[edit]
D Ring[edit]
Spokes[edit]
GIF version (400 × 400 pixels, file size: 2.21 MB)
Moonlets[edit]
Roche Division[edit]
F Ring[edit]
Shepherd moon Prometheus stabilises the F-Ring
Outer rings[edit]
The outer rings seen back-illuminated by the Sun
G Ring[edit]
Methone Ring Arc[edit]
Anthe Ring Arc[edit]
Pallene Ring[edit]
E Ring[edit]
Phoebe ring[edit]
The Phoebe ring's huge extent dwarfs the main rings. Inset: 24 micron Spitzer image of part of the ring.
Other[edit]
![]() Cassini image mosaic of the unlit side of the inner B Ring (top) and outer C Ring (bottom) near Saturn's equinox, showing multiple views of the shadow of Mimas. The shadow is attenuated by the denser B ring. The Maxwell Gap is below center. |
![]() Dark B Ring spokes in a low-phase-angle Cassini image of the rings' unlit side. Left of center, two dark gaps (the larger being the Huygens Gap) and the bright (from this viewing geometry) ringlets to their left comprise the Cassini Division. |
![]() Cassini image of the sun-lit side of the rings taken in 2009 at a phase angle of 144°, with bright B Ring spokes. |
![]() Pan's motion through the A Ring's Encke Gap induces edge waves and (non-self-propagating) spiraling wakes ahead of and inward of it. The other more tightly wound bands are spiral density waves. |
![]() Close-up view of Prometheus and the F Ring. A movie of Prometheus at its apoapsis drawing a streamer of material out of the ring, leaving a dark channel, may be viewed here archive copy or here. |
![]() F ring dynamism, probably due to perturbing effects of small moonlets orbiting close to or through the ring's core. |
![]() Saturn's shadow truncates the backlit G Ring and its bright inner arc. A movie showing the arc's orbital motion may be viewed here or here archive copy. |