Planetary Rings

Some planets have beautiful rings around them. The rings are made of bits of ice and rock. They spin around the planet like a giant hula hoop. Saturn has the most famous rings in our solar system.

Which Planets Have Rings

Four planets in our solar system have rings. They are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Saturn's rings are the biggest and brightest. The others have thin rings that are hard to see. Scientists found most of these rings using space probes.

What Rings Are Made Of

Rings are made of tiny pieces floating in space. Some pieces are as small as dust. Others can be as big as houses. Most pieces are made of ice, rock, or a mix of both. The rings may be left over from broken moons or old comets.

Fun Facts

• Saturn's rings are over 170,000 miles wide but only about 30 feet thick in some places.
• Uranus has 13 known rings.
• Jupiter's rings were not seen until a spacecraft flew by in 1979.

Did You Know?

Saturn's rings may not last forever. Scientists think they could disappear in about 100 million years.