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Rings of Saturn

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The rings of Saturn

The rings of Saturn are the planetary rings around the planet Saturn, which can be seen with a small telescope. They consist of many small particles, ranging in size from microscopic to the size of a bus (or bigger) that form clumps that move around Saturn. The particles in the rings are made almost entirely of water ice,[1] with just a small amount of dust and other chemicals. There are some gaps in the rings. The moon Pan causes the gap called the "Encke gap" in Saturn's A ring.[2] The Cassini Division, discovered by Giovanni Domenico Cassini, is a gap between the A ring and the B ring. It is a product of orbital resonance.

References

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  1. "The Rings of Saturn". Csep10.phys.utk.edu. 1995-11-21. Retrieved 2012-01-20.
  2. "Cassini Solstice Mission: Pan". Saturn.jpl.nasa.gov. 2004-07-01. Archived from the original on 2012-01-19. Retrieved 2012-01-20.