Astronomy
The Composition and Dynamics of Saturn's Rings
Quick fact
Despite spanning 280,000 kilometers in diameter, Saturn's main rings are incredibly thin, averaging only about 10 meters in thickness—that's nearly 28,000 times wider than they are thick, like a sheet of paper the size of a football field.
Why this is interesting
You've seen the pictures: Saturn's magnificent rings, a series of flat, solid bands. But what if I told you they're really a swirling, chaotic maelstrom of icy debris, and they're constantly changing?