Figure 12-17: R I V U X G
The Changing Appearance of Saturn’s Rings Saturn’s rings are aligned with its equator, which is tilted 27° from Saturn’s orbital plane. As Saturn moves around its orbit, the rings maintain the same orientation in space, so observers on Earth see the rings at various angles. The accompanying images of Saturn are made from the “underside” of the rings, the “top” side, and nearly edge-on.

(NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute)