CIRCLES AROUND THE REST

In the February 25 Issue:

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With a diameter that could stretch to the equivalent of 300 Saturns lined up, a newly discovered ring (illustrated here) around Saturn is the largest to encircle any planet in the solar system. Credit: Illustration: JPL-Caltech/NASA, Keck

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To give some perspective, the inner diameter of this ring spans three degrees of the sky as seen from Earth -- six times wider than the discs of the Moon or Sun. Your outstretched hand would just barely cover the total ring.

John Turner

Oct. 12, 2009 at 2:26am

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