Saturn - The 6th Planet

Fact & Figures

Saturn's rings were first observed by the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei in 1610. But, it was not until 1655 when the Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens observed them that their true nature was discovered. He stated that Saturn was surrounded by a solid ring. In 1676, the French astronomer Jean-Dominique Cassini discovered the outer A and the inner B rings. The soon became known as the Cassini division. In 1837, the German astronomer Johann Encke noticed a dark band in the middle of the A-ring. This became known as the Encke Division. Eventually, it was discovered that the rings were not solid, but composed of numerous particles. In 1833, A.A. Common took the first photographs of the rings. Close study revealed that the inner portion of the ring did not move at the same rate as the outer portion -- observational evidence of non-solid rings!