Image: photo of Saturn in true colors, taken on March 27, 2004 by Cassini at 300 million km from Saturn. The globe appears orange, revealing an atmosphere charged with methane.
The giant planets, like Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune, have rings around them. These rings are made of ice, dust and rocks.
The rings were formed a very long time ago when comets or asteroids collided with the giant planets or their moons. When an object hits the planet or the moon, it sends debris out into space. This debris remains in orbit around the planet or moon and eventually forms a ring.
The rings are very thin, often less than a kilometer thick, but extend for thousands of kilometres. The rings are also very wide, often millions of miles wide.
The rings are very beautiful to look at from Earth, and scientists study them to learn more about the history of our solar system. Space missions like Voyager and Cassini sent probes to explore the rings of Saturn and Jupiter, allowing us to discover even more fascinating things about these giant planets and their rings.
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