Rings recounts one of the most fascinating stories to emerge from our recent exploration of the solar system. In the past decade scientists have learned more about this beautiful astronomical phenomenon than was ever known before. James Elliot played a leading role in the scientific group that discovered the rings of Uranus, and Richard Kerr has covered Voyager's encounters with Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus for Sciencemagazine. Together they capture the excitement of the new discoveries - the first since Galileo observed Saturn's rings in 1610 - while showing the central role serendipity can play in scientific progress. James Elliot is Professor of Astronomy and Physics at MIT and Director of the George R. Wallace, Jr., Astrophysical Observatory. Richard Kerr is a senior writer on the research news staff of Science magazine. Copies of the tape that recorded the discovery of the Uranian rings are available from The MIT Press.