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You are here: Home / Science / Does the planet Uranus have rings around it?

Does the planet Uranus have rings around it?

March 12, 2020 by Karen Hill

Planetary rings, found only on the outer planets, consist of pieces of ice and dust.

In 1977 it was discovered that there were, indeed, rings around the planet Uranus. This was a surprise, as the rings are so dark that they’d been completely invisible up until that point. What made it possible to detect them was a star.

In its orbit, Uranus passed in front of a distant star, which highlighted the planet from behind. Astronomers saw a flicker just in front of the planet as it began to pass the star, and an identical flicker as the backlit Uranus continued past the bright star.

With closer scrutiny, nine rings were initially spotted around the planet. Voyager 2, in 1986, spotted two more.

Although Saturn’s six main rings are legendary, all of the other outer planets also have them. Besides Uranus’s eleven rings, Neptune has at least four, and Jupiter has a large main ring and an outer ring system, made up of many smaller rings.

Saturn’s rings are so brilliant, they were discovered over 400 years ago in 1659. None of the other planets’ rings, however, were found until the late 1970s.

Related Facts

  • How Many Rings Does Uranus Have and What Color Are the Rings Around the Planet Uranus?
  • When Was Uranus Discovered, How Did the Planet Uranus Get Its Name, and What Does Uranus Mean In Greek?
  • What Are Saturn's Rings Made of and How Did the Rings Around the Planet Saturn Form?
  • How Large Are the Rings Around the Planet Saturn and How Far From the Surface of Saturn Do the Rings Extend?
  • How Do Saturn's Planetary Rings Orbit Saturn and Which Of Saturn's Rings Revolve Around the Planet the Fastest?
  • What Is the Seventh Planet From the Sun, How Big Is Uranus, and How Far Is the Planet Uranus From the Sun?
  • How Many Rings Does Saturn Have and How Many of the Planetary Rings Around Saturn Have Been Identified?
  • Which Rings Around the Planet Saturn Are the Most Prominent and What Is the Biggest Ring Around Saturn Called?
  • How Cold Is the Planet Uranus and What Effects Does Uranus's Cold Temperature Have On Its Atmosphere?
  • What Is Uranus Made of and Why Does the Planet Uranus Have Such a Low Internal Temperature?
  • How Many Moons Does the Planet Uranus Have and When Were the Moons Orbiting Uranus Discovered?
  • What Are the Different Types of Rings Around Saturn Called and Why Do Eccentric Rings Have Elliptical Orbits?

Filed Under: Science

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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