How do astronomers detect rings around planets that are too faint to see directly?

Not all rings are bright and obvious like Saturn’s. Some are faint and can only be detected when they block starlight or reflect infrared light in unusual ways. During an occultation, a planet or ring system passes in front of a star, and tiny changes in the star’s brightness reveal the rings’ presence and structure. Spacecraft and telescopes have used this method to find rings around Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, and even smaller bodies. The technique helps astronomers study thin debris disks that would otherwise be invisible.