Saturn has at least 146 moons, of which 63 are named—and thousands of moonlets are hiding inside its rings. Four of our planets have rings, but Saturn's are enormous and complex, in a class of ...

New NASA supercomputer simulations show that Saturn's rings may have been formed by a 'massive collision' of icy moons. Credits: NASA/Durham University/Glasgow University/Jacob Kegerreis/Luís ...

In 2025, you will get a sort of preview of that far-distant future, when the gas giant's rings are side-on, from Earth's perspective. "Just like Earth, Saturn experiences seasons, but more than 29 ...

Saturn's rings might have formed 100 million years ago when one of its icy moons was ripped apart by the planet's gravity. Skip to main content. Open menu Close menu. Space. Search.

Saturn, 4.5 billion years old, is almost as senior as the sun. Its rings were thought to be similarly ancient until the Cassini spacecraft studied the planet up close for 13 years. Across billions ...

The shredded moon formed Saturn’s rings, and its loss let Saturn’s tilt angle relax a bit to its present-day value of about 27 degrees (3). A doomed moon Credit: E. Otwell, adapted from M. El ...

In early 2025, you will get a chance to have an even more unusual view: Saturn, without its rings obscuring it. Saturn will not have its distinctive rings forever.

NASA image showing how Saturn's rings will appear to disappear during its equinox in 2025. NASA. The last time this was visible was in September 2009, and will occur again in October 2038.

Then in 1997, NASA launched the Cassini orbiter, a joint venture with the European Space Agency to probe Saturn, its moons, and its ring system.

In early 2025, you will get a chance to have an even more unusual view: Saturn, without its rings obscuring it. Saturn will not have its distinctive rings forever.

Saturn's rings are long thought to be between 100 million and 400 million years old based on more than a decade of observations by NASA's Cassini spacecraft before its demise in 2017.

You do not want to miss this once-a-year opportunity to see Saturn at its biggest and brightest; after Sept. 8, 2024, you won't be able to see Saturn in opposition until Sept. 21, 2025.