Saturn’s rings have become a graphic shorthand for planets, with logos to bed covers to stickers all featuring ringed planets. But Saturn is not alone in possessing a planetary ring system, with four planets and two dwarf planets in the Solar System alone also boasting rings. Planetary rings are made up of lumps of dust and ice orbiting their parent body like billions of tiny moons. It’s theorised that they’re made of debris left behind from the formation of the planet, from the collision and destruction of moons or from a moon that got too close to the planet and was pulled apart by tidal forces.
This story is from the Issue 142 edition of All About Space UK.
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This story is from the Issue 142 edition of All About Space UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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