Saturn's rings. Computer artwork of the rings of Saturn. The Sun is seen at upper left. Saturn, the sixth planet out from the Sun, is encircled by a thin set of rings consisting of small chunks of ice and dust. The rings orbit in well-defined bands, separated by empty space. The largest empty region is known as the Cassini Division (best seen at far left), and divides the rings into two main sections. It is thought the rings are the remains of a moon which was shattered by the impact of a large icy body such as a comet. The rings stretch over 270,000 kilometres. Saturn is a gas giant planet with no true surface. It lies around 1500 million kilometres from the Sun.