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Saturn and its rings. Computer artwork of Saturn, the sixth planet from the Sun, and its rings. The planet is casting a shadow over its rings at right. Saturn is a gas giant, composed mostly of helium and hydrogen. With a diameter nearly ten times that of the Earth it is the second largest planet in the Solar System. Its rings, which span almost 300,000 kilometres, are composed of ice and rock particles. The largest gap in the rings is the Cassini division, which separates the A (outer) and B (inner) rings. The smaller gap within the A ring is the Encke division. (KEYSTONE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/CHR 366 FRIEDRICH SAURER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY) === ===