Saturn's Rings



Though not unique in the Solar System—most of the outer planets have a ring system of some kind—Saturn's rings are exceptional in their size and complexity, if not their beauty.

Structure
From a distance, the rings appear smooth and almost uniform. This appearance quickly gives way on closer examination to wide variations in brightness and transparency.

Spokes
Roughly radial dark patches were seen along the ring surface in some of the earliest Voyager photos.