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Credit & Copyright: Natan Fontes
Explanation:
Where are Saturn's ears?
Galileo is credited, in 1610, as the first person to see
Saturn's rings.
Testing out
Lipperhey's recently
co-invented telescope, Galileo did not know what they were and so called them
"ears".
The mystery deepened in 1612, when Saturn's ears
mysteriously
disappeared.
Today we know exactly what happened: from the perspective of the
Earth,
Saturn's rings had become
too thin to see.
The same drama
plays out every 15 years because Saturn,
like Earth, undergoes
tilt-driven seasons.
This means that as Saturn goes around the Sun, its
equator and
rings can tilt noticeably toward the Sun and inner
Solar System, making them easily visible,
but from other orbital locations will appear almost not at all.
The
featured picture from
Brasilia,
Brazil
shows a modern version of this sequence: the top ring-dominated image was taken in
2020, while the bottom ring-obscure image taken earlier in 2025.
Make Saturn's Rings Musical:
Play them like a harp!
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Saturn rings
Publications with words: Saturn rings
See also: