What I love about this beautiful planet is the tricks the eye plays with your mind, giving you a false sense of reality. The second largest planet in our solar system, it is made up of gas (not solid at all). In fact, it’s lighter than water and given a big enough bath tub, Saturn would float (now there’s an idea for the secret lives of giants – maybe a new series – the secret lives of intergalactic giants).
In contrast, the rings are made of solid ice (and some rock debris). The reason we can see it from earth, is because it is ice, catching the glow of the sun as the ice spins around its home planet. And because of the constant motion, the ice never gets dirty and collides into itself, chipping off bits and pieces to reveal a fresh, sparkling clean piece of ice.
When I made the entropy cartoon, I referred to one of my favourite documentaries – Wonders of the Solar System. It was when I watched this series did I realise the rings were ice. Here is a 5 minute exert from the show.
