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Back Saturn's rings viewed from Earth

Saturn's rings viewed from Earth


Date: 17 March 2009
Satellite: Hubble Space Telescope
Depicts: Saturn
Copyright: Illustration credit: NASA, ESA and Z. Levay (STScI). Photo credit: NASA, ESA and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA). Acknowledgment: M. Wong (STScI/UC Berkeley) and C. Go (Philippines)

As Saturn travels around its orbit, Hubble sees a different view of the tilted rings from a position near Earth. The rings nearly disappear twice during Saturn's approximately 30-year orbit, because we see them edge on and they are extremely thin relative to their diameter.
Last Update: 1 September 2019
14-Mar-2026 09:01 UT

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