New Saturn Ring Could Hold a Billion Earths

The team, led by Anne Verbiscer of the University of Virginia, used NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope to see the infrared heat eminating from the dust particles. The find was published in the journal Nature.

Galileo Galilei first discovered rings around Saturn with his telescope in 1610.

According to Professor Doug Hamilton of the University of Maryland, who was also part of the team, the size of the ring actually made it harder for scientists to find it – telescopes look at specific parts of the universe and the enormous size of the ring made it hard to detect.

Listen below to an interview with Professor Hamilton about the new find.