Saturn is known for its iconic rings.

And with Hubble's help, now we know that these rings are also heating the giant planet's upper atmosphere!

This phenomenon hasn't been seen before in our solar system, but this unexpected interaction between Saturn and its rings could provide a tool for predicting if planets around other stars have ring systems as well.

The evidence comes from an excess of ultraviolet radiation detected by Hubble and other NASA missions, seen as a spectral line of hot hydrogen in Saturn's atmosphere. This ultraviolet Hubble image shows the hydrogen emissions, brightest above the equatorial region.

Image credit: NASA, ESA, Lotfi Ben-Jaffel (IAP & LPL)

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