What do Saturn's rings look like?

Answer 1

Saturn's ring is made out of space junk,comets,bolders and mettle off space ships.

1. Saturn's Rings are mostly made of Chucks of ice and some dust and rocks.

Answer 2

Saturn's seven main rings surround the planet at its equator but do not touch it. They consist mainly of pieces of ice, ranging from dust-sized grains to chunks more than 10 feet (3 meters) in diameter. Many of the rings feature thin bands of varying brightness, called ringlets. Gaps of several thousand miles or kilometers separate most of the major rings. The gaps contain fewer particles than the rings. Some of the gaps have ringlets. In addition to the major rings, the ring system includes numerous diffuse (thinly spread) ringlets and small moons. Gravitational interactions between Saturn's inner satellites and the ring particles play a major role in maintaining the structure of the rings, ringlets, and gaps.

Astronomers have assigned letters to the major rings, based roughly on the order of the rings' discovery. From the closest to Saturn to the farthest away, they are the D, C, B, A, F, G, and E rings. The A, B, C, and D rings each consist of thousands of ringlets.

The A and B rings are the brightest. A dark gap called the Cassini Division separates the two. The gravitational influence of Saturn's moon Mimas keeps the Cassini Division relatively free of particles. Mimas lies inside the E ring. The moon orbits Saturn once for every two orbits of the particles in the Cassini Division. This simple 2 to 1 ratio results in what is called a 2:1 orbital resonance between the ring particles and the moon. The resonance produces specific gravitational interactions between the moon and the particles, forcing particles out of the Cassini Division. The outer edge of the A ring is maintained by a 7:6 orbital resonance between the ring particles there and the moons Janus and Epimetheus. Within the A ring is a gap, called the Encke gap. It is caused by the presence of the small moon Pan. Pan orbits within the ring, clearing ring particles from its path. The fainter C and D rings lie inside the B ring.

The bright F ring lies just outside the A ring. The F ring consists of a narrow band of ringlets that lie between the orbits of the satellites Prometheus and Pandora. The moons' gravitational pulls confine or "herd" the particles of the F ring into a narrow band. Because of this herding, astronomers sometimes refer to these satellites as shepherd moons. At certain points in Prometheus's eccentric (oblong) orbit, the moon actually enters the ring. Where the moon enters, its gravitational pull creates "kinks" in the ring. The kinks give the F ring a braided appearance.

The faint E and G rings are much thicker than the inner rings. Their particles are spread more thinly. The E ring consists mainly of microscopic particles. Scientists have determined that some of the ring's particles come from geysers on the moon Enceladus. The G ring is thinner than the E ring and contains larger particles. Astronomers think these particles may be dust spreading out from a ring arc (curved region of debris) held in its orbit by the gravity of Mimas.

Beginning with the Voyager missions, astronomers noticed dark markings reaching out from the center of the B ring, called spokes. The spokes appear to result from fine dust being raised above the main ring by electrical and magnetic forces. However, the details of their formation remain poorly understood.

In 2009, scientists using the Spitzer Space Telescope discovered a diffuse doughnut-shaped ring far beyond the orbit of the previously known rings. The ring is centered around the orbit of the moon Phoebe. The ring is roughly 8 million miles (13 million kilometers) thick.

Answer 3

Saturn has over a thousand rings. Only 3 or 4 are visible through a conventional telescope from Earth. It is estimated that these rings of fine dust and rocks are about 400,000 kilometers wide.

Answer 4

You would describe Saturn's atmosphere as being a gas ball... literally and the rings well they are mostly made of small bits of rock and ice and scientists don't know what colors it. I hope I've helped. :)

Answer 5

Saturn's rings are made up of particles ranging in size from tiny grains to boulders. They appear bright and reflective due to their icy composition. From a distance, the rings look like a flat disk surrounding the planet.

Answer 6

Round