# The rings of Saturn **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 11, 2001, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rings-of-saturn/75844 "2001-08-11T21:37:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2001, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rings-of-saturn/75844/1 "2001-08-11T21:37:53Z")
What are they made of? I wonder whether the opening footage of _3rd Rock from the Sun_ is accurate in that it shows a bit where Saturn’s rings appear to be made of coal, or at least carbon; they’re supposed to be “a meter on a side” according to the _World Almanac_–which, however, doesn’t say what they are made of. Any info? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Bluepony](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Bluepony](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bluepony)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2001, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rings-of-saturn/75844/2 "2001-08-11T21:50:26Z")
IIRC from my college astronomy they are made up of little ice particles. Course I spent a lot of time sleeping in that class and got a B-, and it was a while back. And I smoked a little too much grass in my freshman year. It _might_ be ice particles, or was that the planet Vulcan that was made up of large frozen shlurpee masses? Sorry, I was a criminal justice major. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2001, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rings-of-saturn/75844/3 "2001-08-11T21:59:11Z")
As was **bluepony** , I was also a bit too friendly the the bong in college. I think that they are made up of primarily carbon combounds and ice crystals. Pretty much the same makeup as comets. I suspect that someone else will come along and answer this definitively. **Podkayne** , are you ou there? ---
**Author:** ![AbbySthrnAccent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@AbbySthrnAccent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AbbySthrnAccent)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2001, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rings-of-saturn/75844/4 "2001-08-11T22:03:26Z")
Look here [Saturn’s Ring System](http://ringmaster.arc.nasa.gov/saturn/saturn.html) and [FAQ about Saturn’s Rings](http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/saturn/faq.html). Hope this helps. Abby ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2001, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rings-of-saturn/75844/5 "2001-08-11T22:38:15Z")
Thanks…I logged onto that second site and got the information I wanted. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bluepony](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Bluepony](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bluepony)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2001, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rings-of-saturn/75844/6 "2001-08-12T04:34:54Z")
Whooo hoooo!!! Thanks for the site _Abby_, after all these years and still able to answer astronomy questions! I knew I was conscious for a considerable period of this time in my life. No “Search” function was used in this monumental feat of astronomical knowledge. It was done with the remaining 462 brain cells I have left. This, in itself, is truly astounding considering that most astronomy concepts like “What wrong turn did the Jupiter 2 make to get Lost In Space?” and “Why is the ninth planet named after a Disney character?” still astound and befuddle me. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2023, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rings-of-saturn/75844/7 "2023-11-06T14:15:12Z")
> **[Saturn’s magnificent rings will vanish in 2025](https://www.earth.com/news/saturns-rings-will-vanish-from-sight-in-2025/)** > > Yet, this grand sight has an expiration date set for 2025 - when Saturn’s rings will vanish from view, not once but twice So if you have a decent telescope, don’t wait to look at them. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2023, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rings-of-saturn/75844/8 "2023-11-06T15:09:45Z")
This happens twice during each Saturnian year. It’s not “forever”. It’s just from our perspective we’ll be changing which side (top/bottom) is visible. You have to pass thru edge-on to do that. ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2023, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rings-of-saturn/75844/9 "2023-11-06T16:55:26Z")
Yes, early Sci-fi had them as assorted chunks, some more than a few hundred feet across, a good place for a hideout. Disappointing to find they were fairly small debris. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2023, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rings-of-saturn/75844/10 "2023-11-06T17:21:21Z")
> [@BwanaBob](#): > > This happens twice during each Saturnian year. Well a Saturnian year is 29.4 earth years–so it is a while to wait. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2023, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rings-of-saturn/75844/11 "2023-11-06T19:18:54Z")
The headline sounds histrionic, as if the rings are vanishing forever. That’s what I was trying to clarify, that it’s temporary. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2023, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rings-of-saturn/75844/12 "2023-11-07T07:48:21Z")
> [@md-2000](#): > > Disappointing to find they were fairly small debris. They do clump together, it is though, but not permanently. [\> it is reminiscent of Saturn’s F ring that contains azi-muthal features (clumps) or even local opaque structures interpreted as kilometre-sized moonlets. This clumpy nature is thought to be caused by the presence of thousands of small parent bodies (1.0 to 0.1km in size) that collide and produce dense strands of micrometre- to centimetre-sized particles that re-accrete over a few months onto the parent bodies in a steady-state regime](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-05629-6.epdf?sharing_token=gxSolbwFLNRxm3gKPYug6tRgN0jAjWel9jnR3ZoTv0M64TyCEs9Z0PCfLpZmcbRG1VIn6aUkXZZHtuZJTz3SRYgPxwjgBVG-L86kb4UFB9vjy3ebiZ9OYcfRptTCNDo0mucqbrvLYnB68B4ms6LHJIoOerKjKwSh5eqqYzOuE4g%3D) ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2023, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rings-of-saturn/75844/13 "2023-11-12T23:42:34Z")
The info on the rings was nice, but what threw me for a loop: **145 moons?!?** _Cheese and crackers…_ ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2023, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rings-of-saturn/75844/14 "2023-11-13T06:03:15Z")
> [@CaptMurdock](#): > > 145 moons?!? AFAIK, there’s no definition of a moon/satellite that specifies a minimum size. They’re any body that orbits another body that orbits the Sun. So every one of Saturn’s ring particles could be considered a moon. Trillions of them. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2023, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rings-of-saturn/75844/15 "2023-11-13T08:50:21Z")
> [@CaptMurdock](#): > > 145 moons?!? It’s up to 146, [according to NASA](https://science.nasa.gov/saturn/moons/): “As of June 8, 2023, Saturn has 146 moons in its orbit. The moons range in size from larger than the planet Mercury – the giant moon [Titan](https://science.nasa.gov/saturn/moons/titan/) – to as small as a sports arena.” Personally I don’t think something the size of a sports arena should count, but I don’t get to decide these things. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2023, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rings-of-saturn/75844/16 "2023-11-13T22:03:43Z")
The problem is that there’s no logical place to put a clear cutoff. There’s a continuum of sizes, all of similar composition, and so anywhere you put a cutoff, there will be some objects just above and below that cutoff which are very similar to each other. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2023, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rings-of-saturn/75844/17 "2023-11-14T08:57:00Z")
My arbitrary standard would be - if you could - theoretically, given sufficient protection - stand on it for flag-planting purposes, and it orbits a planet, and it’s solitary, it’s a moon. If it’s too small to stand on, it’s no moon. If it’s moving as part of a group, it’s no moon. It might be a moonlet (also a moonlet if it orbits another smaller body like an asteroid) or it might just be part of a ring.