A Brief Astronomical History and Analysis of Saturn’s Rings

There is no other planet in our solar system quite as dazzling nor stunning than that of Saturn. Specifically, our eyes are drawn to the incredible rings whose nature is both chaotic, yet representative of pattern. For centuries, Saturn’s Rings have baffled astronomers as to their formation, the spectrum of their colors, or even the identification of what they are exactly. The rings of Saturn offer viewers on Earth a chance to study cosmic disk phenomena; such as those in which planets form. Although many bodies posses ring systems, Saturn’s was the first observed and studied by astronomers.

Observation and exploration of Saturn can be divided into three categories: ancient observations before telescopes, telescopic observations starting in the 17th Century, and the modern observation by probes and advanced telescopes. This report exists as a summary of the history of observations and research made with respect to Saturn's rings during those latter two periods starting with Galileo Galilei and ending with modern-day understanding. This paper includes discussions of astrophysical phenomena that are pronounced in Saturn’s Rings; such as aggregation and disaggregation, electrostatic charge, their composition, and more related aspects.