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You are here: Home / Space / What Are Saturn’s Rings Made of and How Did the Rings Around the Planet Saturn Form?

What Are Saturn’s Rings Made of and How Did the Rings Around the Planet Saturn Form?

April 28, 2020 by Karen Hill

Astronomers believe that Saturn’s rings are made of water, ice, and rock.

This icy matter can range from the size of a tiny grain of sand to bigger than a boulder, over 30 feet (9 meters) across.

The particles probably came from passing comets or moons that got too close to Saturn and were broken up.

The space debris was then caught in the planet’s force of gravity.

Or perhaps the rings are composed of remnants of the Sun’s explosion into adulthood, particles of solar matter that never coalesced into moons or planets.

Related Facts

  • How Do Saturn’s Planetary Rings Orbit Saturn and Which Of Saturn’s Rings Revolve Around the Planet the Fastest?
  • How Many Rings Does Saturn Have and How Many of the Planetary Rings Around Saturn Have Been Identified?
  • Which of Saturn’s Planetary Rings Are Visible From Earth and Can We Always See Saturn’s Rings From Earth?
  • How Large Are the Rings Around the Planet Saturn and How Far From the Surface of Saturn Do the Rings Extend?
  • What Are the Different Types of Rings Around Saturn Called and Why Do Eccentric Rings Have Elliptical Orbits?
  • How Did James Clerk Maxwell Determine the Composition of the Rings Around the Planet Saturn?

Filed Under: Space

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.

Previous Post: « Which Rings Around the Planet Saturn Are the Most Prominent and What Is the Biggest Ring Around Saturn Called?
Next Post: How Large Are the Rings Around the Planet Saturn and How Far From the Surface of Saturn Do the Rings Extend? »

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