Why Do Saturn's Rings Sometimes Appear to Disappear?
Seen from Earth, Saturn's rings sometimes appear broad and bright but at other times seem to disappear. Why?
Saturn's rings orbit Saturn at its equator. Saturn is tilted to the ecliptic (its orbit around the sun) by 26.7 degrees (similar to Earth's tilt of 23.5 degrees).
So as it orbits the sun, Saturn's equator and its rings change angles compared to the ecliptic (which is pretty close to where we see Saturn).
So at Saturn's "equinoxes" the equator and the rings are almost directly in line with Saturn's orbit, so we don't see the rings except as thin lines on either side of the planet.
At Saturns solstices, the planet (and therefore its rings) are tilted the most to our line of sight.
Saturn's equinox is now, so for another 6 months or so we won't see much of the rings.
Why do Saturn's rings sometimes seem to disappear when viewed from Earth? Saturn's rings appear to disappear when viewed from Earth because of its tilt to the ecliptic, causing the equator and the rings to change angles compared to our line of sight. During the planet's equinoxes, the equator and rings align with Saturn's orbit, making the rings invisible except as thin lines on either side of the planet. This phenomenon occurs due to the specific orientation of Saturn and its rings as it orbits the sun.