Gaps in the soup of high-energy particles near the orbits of two of Saturn’s tiny moons indicate that Saturn may be surrounded by undiscovered, near-invisible partial rings. A paper in the February issue of the journal Icarus suggests that the larger saturnian moons may not be the only ones contributing material to Saturn's ring system. picked by AutumnLotus 6 months ago

Saturn: jewel of the solar system, taker of breaths, ringed beauty. Even veteran astronomers can't help but gasp when they see her through a small telescope.

Red Alert: Saturn's rings are vanishing.

Around the world, amateur astronomers have noticed the change; Saturn's wide open rings are rapidly narrowing into a thin line. picked by AutumnLotus 5 months ago

Scientists appear to have solved a long-standing mystery about the cause of anomalies in Jupiter's gossamer rings. In a new study published, they report that a faint extension of the outermost ring beyond the orbit of Jupiter's moon Thebe, and other observed deviations from an accepted model of ring formation, result from the interplay of shadow and sunlight on dust particles that make up the ring... read full post picked by AutumnLotus 4 months ago

The discovery of more oddly shaped gaps in Saturn's rings strengthens the case that one of the planet's moons was smashed to bits in an ancient collision. Shaped like airplane propellers, the gaps likely formed when "moonlets" as large as football stadiums plowed through Saturn's ring particles while orbiting the planet. picked by AutumnLotus 10 months ago

Saturn's shimmering rings may be as old as the solar system, scientists said Wednesday, debunking earlier theories that the rings were formed during the dinosaur age. picked by AutumnLotus 8 months ago

New observations by a spacecraft suggest Saturn's second-largest moon may be surrounded by rings. If confirmed, it would the first time a ring system has been found around a moon. picked by AutumnLotus 6 months ago

Astronomers have captured their first glare-free glimpse of Uranus's rings since they were first photographed more than 20 years ago by the Voyager spacecraft. picked by AutumnLotus 12 months ago

A virtual game version of those plastic stacking rings you had as a toddler. But more fun. picked by gnikgnok 1 year ago

The rings around the planet Uranus may have been spotted 180 years before the accepted date for their discovery, according to a theory. picked by AutumnLotus 1 year ago

Brought to life on film, J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy ruled in theaters and on DVD. Now the classic tale of hobbits, dwarves, elves, men and magic moves into the world of online role-playing. picked by AutumnLotus 1 year ago

The director of a stage musical based on "Lord of the Rings" visited J.R.R. Tolkien's grave to get his approval, and to apologize if the author didn't like the idea. Apparently, he didn't take the sound of something spinning six feet below him as a clue. picked by Wingnut 2 years ago

Saturn has a newly discovered ring, a faint trail of particles just visible in between some of its better-known rings, NASA said on Tuesday. picked by Galoot 2 years ago

Jack Black as the ring carrier,
Hilarious, even if you do not like Jack Black picked by wildminou 1 year ago

I can do this! Can you? Great pool-party trick. picked by ReBoot 1 year ago

The formation of strange flying-saucer-shaped moons embedded in Saturn's rings have baffled scientists. New findings suggest they're born largely from clumps of icy particles in the rings themselves, an insight that could shed light on how Earth and other planets coalesced from the disk of matter that once surrounded our newborn sun. picked by AutumnLotus 9 months ago

Saturn is now at its best in our late-winter sky. It appears below and to the left of the conspicuous "sickle" or backwards question-mark pattern of stars marking the head and mane of the constellation of Leo, the Lion.

What we see with the naked eye is a bright yellowish-white "star" shining with a steady light. picked by AutumnLotus 6 months ago

This 3D movie was made from a sequence of images taken by NASA's Cassini spacecraft as it crossed the plane of Saturn's main rings. picked by AutumnLotus 11 months ago

Read this to find out! picked by muppetmaker 2 weeks ago

A furniture maker was delighted when he sliced open a tree to find what he claims is an image of Jesus ascending to heaven. Forty-five-year-old Craig O'Connor from Bensalem, Pennsylvania discovered the image in a stain of sap inside the trunk. picked by AutumnLotus 6 months ago

This woman is amazingly talented!
Lots of pics and captions. picked by gnikgnok 1 year ago