Planets with Rings

One of the most fascinating and oldest sciences in the world is the science of astronomy. Studying the cosmic world and the universe that lies beyond earthly realms is something that you cannot help but be intrigued by. Astronomy is a methodical study that includes observing celestial bodies like stars, comets, meteors, and of course, planets. With studies disrobing Pluto off its planetary status, we now have eight planets in our solar system. The number of planets with rings in our solar system is four and these planets are Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus, and Saturn. In this article, we try to understand more about these planets with rings and their ring systems.

Planets with Rings Around Them

Before we discuss in detail the answer to the question how many planets have rings around them in our solar system, let us take a look at how astronomers believe that these rings have come into existence. One theory is that these rings are formed from the material of the disk of dense gas known as protoplanetary disk that could not form moons due to being inside the Roche limit. The Roche limit is the distance within which the tidal force of one planetary body is greater than the gravitational force extended by a second planetary body, therefore forcing the latter to disintegrate. Another theory about how rings came to form is that they are the remains of a moon that disintegrated due to impact. While a definite explanation about planets with rings and the formation of these rings has not been put forward, the theories above are some of the dominant ones.

Jupiter
The largest of the Jovian planets, Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun in the solar system. The ring system of planet Jupiter was the third ring system to be discovered in the year 1979 by the Voyager 1 space probe. In-depth investigations of this planet with rings was done by the Galileo probe. The ring system of Jupiter has three ring patterns, the outermost of which is known as the gossamer ring. The middle ring pattern is the main ring which is very bright and extremely thin. The innermost ring patter is the halo ring. The gossamer ring pattern is actually made of two rings that seems like one because one of the rings is embedded in the other. These rings are made of dust particles that are microscopic in nature and some rock fragments. The dust that is the main constituent of these rings is believed to be from two of the moons of Jupiter; Amalthea and Thebe.

Neptune
In 1846, at the Berlin Observatory, Johann Gottfried Galle confirmed the existence of the first planet the presence of which was discovered by mathematical predictions. This was the planet we now know as Neptune. This is just one of the interesting facts about Neptune. The ring system of Neptune was first noticed in the 1980s but it was only in 1989 that the Voyager II spacecraft confirmed the existence of the ring system that was made up of many faint rings. This planet with rings has five principle rings which are all named after those astronomers that have contributed to the study of the planet. The rings are named Galle, Le Verrier, Lassell, Arago, and Adams. The Adams ring consists of five very distinct arcs that are named for the French translations of the words, Fraternity, Equality (1 & 2), Liberty and Courage.

Saturn
When discussing planets with rings in our solar system, a ring system that springs to mind immediately is the ring system of Saturn. It has the most elaborate ring system in the solar system and was the earliest to be discovered. Galileo observed the rings of the planet Saturn in the year 1610. These rings are made of many small particles of ice, dust and other chemicals. In the year 1981, Voyager I and II spacecrafts sent detailed pictures of the ring system back to earth which allowed astronomers to study them. The outermost rings of the system are named C, B, and A. The distance is the most between the rings A and B and this gap is known as the Cassini division. The ring closest to the planet Saturn is known as D.

Uranus
The ring system of the planet Uranus was discovered by James Elliot, Edward Dunham, and Douglas Mink in 1977. While this planet with rings does not have a system that is as elaborate or extensive as the planet Saturn, it is still pretty intricate. There are thirteen rings in the ring system of Uranus and they are named 1986U2R/ Zeta, 6, 5, 4, Alpha, Beta, Eta, Gamma, Delta, Lambda, Epsilon, Nu, and Mu starting from the outermost ring respectively. Most of the rings around Uranus are opaque.

So you now know that amongst all the planets in the solar system, there are four planets with rings. These planets are also differentiated by being a part of the group known as Jovian planets.