Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Thin Rings Around Polarized Saturn

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 19, 2005 is “Thin Rings Around Polarized Saturn,” an image. It is credited to Credit: Cassini Imaging Team , SSI , JPL , ESA , NASA. The original explanation runs about 130 words.

Thin Rings Around Polarized Saturn
Credit: Cassini Imaging Team , SSI , JPL , ESA , NASA Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“How thin are the rings of Saturn? Brightness measurements from different angles have shown Saturn’s rings to be about one kilometer thick, making them many times thinner, in relative proportion, than a razor blade .”

— APOD editors, December 19, 2005

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
December 19, 2005
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Cassini Imaging Team , SSI , JPL , ESA , NASA
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 130 words

All of December 2005 → · 2005 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

Saturn

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: December 19 in other years

On Amazon

Popular picks for space fans

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Electronics Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition 32GB Read astronomy and space-history books anywhere. View on Amazon → Electronics Bose QuietComfort Wireless Headphones Noise-cancelling headphones for documentaries and launch livestreams. View on Amazon →

Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.