Figure 7-23 Saturn as Seen from Earth Saturn’s rings are aligned with its equator, which is tilted 27° from the plane of Saturn’s orbit around the Sun. Therefore, Earth-based observers see the rings at various angles as Saturn orbits the Sun. The plane of Saturn’s rings and equator keeps the same orientation in space as the planet goes around its orbit, just as Earth keeps its 23½° tilt as it orbits the Sun. The accompanying Earth-based photographs show how the rings seem to disappear entirely about every 15 years