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Saturn - Essay Archive

A word from Mr. Wu: this issue features Zhou Jiayi of Grade 6, Class 2. Her sensitive writing describes the fragments in Saturn's rings, and ends with a creative puzzle about an angle!

Fragments Beneath the Rings
Artist:Zhou Jiayi (Grade 6, Class 2) | Submitted: 2009-05-27

Saturn is my favorite planet. At first sight, everyone thinks its rings are magnificent and noble, a crown fit for a king. But come closer and you'll see that it's only an illusion pieced together from countless tiny, insignificant scraps of ice and rock.

Saturn also holds its axis at a particular angle. I like that number. It reminds me of someone stubborn, teeth clenched, refusing to bow their head.

I won't tell you the angle outright. I've hidden it in a puzzle:

The tens digit:The number of Mars's best friends, its moons. (Ask Song Yuming from Class 4. She should know.)
The ones digit:The number of days in a week on Earth, and the number of stars in the Big Dipper.

Put the two digits together. That's the angle that never bows its head, and the key to some of my private memories.