Ask an Astronomer for KIDS! - Does Uranus have rings?




Does Uranus have rings?

Yes, Uranus has 9 brighter rings as well as several fainter rings. Some of the larger rings are surrounded by belts of fine dust. The outermost ring is made up of ice boulders several feet across. The other rings are made up mainly of icy chunks darkened by rocks. The rings are thin, narrow, and dark compared to the rings of other planets. They are actually so dark that they reflect about as much light as charcoal. They appear brighter in the image to the left because the image has been artificially brightened by a computer. The rings may have been formed by the break up of a small moon.