https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&feedformat=atom&user=2A02%3A3100%3AA1C6%3A5500%3A1B81%3A3774%3AE74C%3A8E06explain xkcd - User contributions [en]2026-05-23T20:51:43ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3156:_Planetary_Rings&diff=3890623156: Planetary Rings2025-10-17T17:23:34Z<p>2A02:3100:A1C6:5500:1B81:3774:E74C:8E06: /* Fixed Wikipedia link to the Polar Orbit (not Polar Orbits) article */</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3156<br />
| date = October 17, 2025<br />
| title = Planetary Rings<br />
| image = planetary_rings_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 356x279px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = If you don't know where you are on Earth, the angle of satellite dishes can help constrain your latitude. If some of them are pointing straight up, you're probably near the Equator, right under the ring.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was created by an off-axis satellite dish. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
A {{w|ring system|planetary ring}} is a disc of small objects and other material orbiting a planet. The most well known are the rings of {{w|Saturn}}, which were discovered by {{w|Galileo Galilei}}, but all the {{w|gas giant}} planets in the Solar System have rings, as do some minor planets and moons.<br />
<br />
Earth does not have a natural ring system, although it's theorized that it may have had one in the distant past. However, since the 1950's (about 68 years ago at the time this comic was posted) we have launched many artificial satellites into Earth orbit, and most of them orbit in the equatorial plane (a small number are in {{w|polar orbit}}s), so they constitute an artificial ring system.<br />
<br />
{{w|Satellite dishes}} are used to communicate with most of these devices. But since some are used for communicating with polar satellites and space probes, it's not all as claimed by the caption.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[On the left side, a table:]<br />
: Planet Ring?<br />
: Mercury ☐<br />
: Venus ☐<br />
: Earth [[☑]]<br />
: Mars ☐<br />
: Jupiter ☑<br />
: Saturn ☑<br />
: Uranus ☑<br />
: Neptune ☑<br />
<br />
:[On the right side, a drawing of the Earth from space, with Africa in view. Many dots represent the satellites, and most of them are in an ellipse. An arrow points to it:]<br />
:Geostationary satellite belt<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the panel:]<br />
: Astronomy fact: a century ago, Earth didn't have rings, but we have one now! It's where all the satellite dishes are pointed.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
<br />
[[Category:Astronomy]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]</div>2A02:3100:A1C6:5500:1B81:3774:E74C:8E06