News Space

Largest known planetary ring discovered

This band can’t be beat: It circles Saturn and stretches more than 24 million kilometers across

By Ron Cowen

- More than 2 years ago

FAJARDO, Puerto Rico — A newly discovered planetary ring can run circles around all the others. The gossamer band of dust encircles Saturn and has a measured diameter of about 24 million kilometers, or 200 times the diameter of the planet.

CIRCLES AROUND THE REST 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.