Number 268 (Story #2), May 1, 1996 by Phillip F. Schewe and Ben Stein SATURN'S RINGS ARE SEEN EDGE-ON at Earth only twice every 30 years. This is a good time to view the Saturn system since the glare of the rings is so much less. For the recent 1995 ring-plane crossings, the Hubble Space Telescope made extensive observations. Some findings: the ring system overall is about 1.2 to 1.5 km thick; the F ring is inclined relative to the A ring; the rings are covered by a tenuous sheath of OH molecules; the tiny inner satellite Prometheus was some 19 degrees of longitude away from its estimated position; the E ring flares (at a distance of 7.5 Saturn radii) to a thickness of about 15,000 km. (Several articles, Science, 26 April 1995.)