Ring Around the Planet

An enormous ring has been discovered around Saturn. Spotted by the Spitzer Space Telescope, the dust ring was seen in the infrared spectrum, where it shows a temperature of -193°C (-316°F). The new ring begins about 5.95 million km (3.7 million miles) from the planet and extends for 11.9 million km (7.4 million miles). The ring encompasses the orbit o Saturn’s moon Phoebe, and like Phoebe it orbits Saturn in a retrograde motion. According to a JPL spokewoman, this is the first time Saturn was explored with an infrared instrument.

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