Saturn's Recycling Rings Poster

This is an artist concept of a close-up view of Saturn's ring particles. The planet Saturn is seen in the background (yellow and brown). The particles (blue) are composed mostly of ice, but are not uniform. They clump together to form elongated, curved aggregates, continually forming and dispersing. The space between the clumps is mostly empty. The largest individual particles shown are a few metres (yards) across. Image by Marty Peterson, based on a 1984 image by William K. Hartmann. Hartmann's image illustrated early research by Stuart Weidenschilling and co-workers at the Planetary Science Insitute, on dynamical ephemeral bodies in Saturn's rings. Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Colorado