E ring

astronomy

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June 25, 2026

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The E ring is a tenuous ring of water ice particles that orbits Saturn. It is primarily composed of ice particles ejected from geysers on Saturn's moon, Enceladus. These particles are densest near Enceladus's orbit and extend outward, forming a diffuse ring. The E ring is considered a dynamic feature, as it is continually resupplied by cryovolcanic eruptions from Enceladus. This activity is thought to originate from a subsurface ocean on Enceladus, where water interacts with a rocky seafloor, potentially creating hydrothermal vents. The E ring is the largest planetary ring in the solar system, extending from 3 to at least 8 Saturn radii.123

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Enceladus
…activity is responsible for Saturn’s E ring, a tenuous ring of micrometre-sized particles of water ice condensed from vapour ejected by the geysers. The particles are densest near Enceladus’s orbit and are analogous to the cloud of orbiting particles ejected from Jupiter’s volcanically active moon Io. The E ring, however,…
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…activity is responsible for Saturn’s E ring, a tenuous ring of micrometre-sized particles of water ice condensed from vapour ejected by the geysers. The particles are densest near Enceladus’s orbit and are analogous to the cloud of orbiting particles ejected from Jupiter’s volcanically active moon Io. The E ring, however,…
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Tethys
…micrometre-sized ice particles from Saturn’s E ring, in which Tethys is well-embedded. Cited as evidence is the observation that many of the craters on Tethys have bright floors, whereas the craters on Saturn’s moon Hyperion, which orbits relatively far from Tethys and the E ring, tend to have dark floors.…
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…micrometre-sized ice particles from Saturn’s E ring, in which Tethys is well-embedded. Cited as evidence is the observation that many of the craters on Tethys have bright floors, whereas the craters on Saturn’s moon Hyperion, which orbits relatively far from Tethys and the E ring, tend to have dark floors.…
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