Saturn Facts.
- 1. Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest.
- 2. Saturn was the god of agriculture in Roman mythology. Saturn is also the father of Jupiter, the king of the Roman gods.
- 3. Saturn is flattened at the poles, due to a fast rotation on its axis.
- 4. Saturn has 62 known moons, fifty-three have been named. Most of them are small in size.
- 5. Names of some of Saturn’s moons: the largest is Titan, discovered in 1655; Tethys, Dione, Rhea, & Iapetus, discovered from 1671 to 1672; Mimas & ...
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What are three fun facts about Saturn?
What are three fun facts about Saturn? Saturn Facts 1. Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest. 3. Saturn is flattened at the poles, due to a fast rotation on its axis. 4. Saturn has 62 known moons, fifty-three have been named.
What are some interesting features about Saturn?
What are 5 interesting facts about Saturn?
- Saturn is huge.
- You cannot stand on Saturn.
- Its beautiful rings are not solid.
- Some of these bits are as small as grains of sand.
- The rings are huge but thin.
- Other planets have rings.
- Saturn could float in water because it is mostly made of gas.
- It is very windy on Saturn.
What are the 3 planets furthest from the Sun?
- Closest: 46 million km / 29 million miles (.307 AU)
- Furthest: 70 million km / 43 million miles (.466 AU)
- Average: 57 million km / 35 million miles (.387 AU)
- Closest to Mercury from Earth: 77.3 million km / 48 million miles
Is Saturn a gas or rocky planet?
Unlike the rocky terrestrial planets, gas giants such as Saturn lack the layered crust-mantle-core structure, because they formed differently from their rocky siblings. Saturn is classified as a gas giant because it is almost completely made of gas. Its atmosphere bleeds into its "surface" with little distinction.
What are 20 interesting facts about Saturn?
Student FeaturesSaturn is huge. ... You cannot stand on Saturn. ... Its beautiful rings are not solid. ... Some of these bits are as small as grains of sand. ... The rings are huge but thin. ... Other planets have rings. ... Saturn could float in water because it is mostly made of gas. ... It is very windy on Saturn.More items...•
What are 10 facts about Saturn?
Here are 10 facts about Saturn, some you may know, and some you probably didn't know.Saturn is the least dense planet in the Solar System. ... Saturn is a flattened ball. ... The first astronomers thought the rings were moons. ... Saturn has only been visited 4 times by spacecraft. ... Saturn has 62 moons.More items...•
What are some basic facts about Saturn?
Saturn is a gas giant made up mostly of hydrogen and helium. Saturn's volume is greater than 760 Earths, and it is the second most massive planet in the solar system, about 95 times Earth's mass. The Ringed Planet is the least dense of all the planets, and is the only one less dense than water.
Can Saturn float in water?
Yes, if you could find a big enough body of water for it to float on. Saturn is very large and is the second largest planet in the Solar System. However, it is made up mostly of gas and is less dense than water. Since it is lighter than water, it can float on water.
Is Saturn hot or cold?
Like the other gas giants, Saturn's surface to atmosphere interface is rather nebulous, and likely has a small, rocky core surrounded by a liquid and very thick atmosphere. Saturn is considerably colder than Jupiter being further from the Sun, with an average temperature of about -285 degrees F.
How old is the Saturn?
4.503 billion yearsSaturn / AgeSaturn was formed at the same time as the rest of the Solar System, from a large spinning disk of gas and dust. Astronomers think that all this happened about 4.6 billion years ago! So Saturn is about 4.6 billion years old.
Why is Saturn called Saturn?
The farthest planet from Earth discovered by the unaided human eye, Saturn has been known since ancient times. The planet is named for the Roman god of agriculture and wealth, who was also the father of Jupiter.
Why does Saturn have a ring?
The simplest answer as to why Saturn has rings and what they are made of is that the planet has accumulated a great deal of dust, particles, and ice at varying distances from its surface. These items are most likely trapped by gravity.
Does it rain diamonds on Saturn?
About 10 million tons of diamond rain down on Saturn each year. The new molecule is relatively heavy, and when attracted by the planet's gravity, begins to be drawn downwards.
What planet has 16 hours in a day?
NeptuneOption 2: A TablePlanetDay LengthJupiter10 hoursSaturn11 hoursUranus17 hoursNeptune16 hours4 more rows
What is Earth's sister planet?
VenusVenus is often called "Earth's twin" because they're similar in size and structure, but Venus has extreme surface heat and a dense, toxic atmosphere.
Does Saturn have any rings?
From far away, Saturn looks like it has seven large rings. Each large ring is named for a letter of the alphabet. The rings were named in the order they were discovered. The first ring discovered was named the A ring, but it is not the ring closest to or farthest from Saturn.
What are unique features of Saturn?
Saturn's most unique features are its stunning rings that orbit the planet. Saturn is also less dense than water, so if you could fit Saturn in a b...
What are 4 interesting Saturn facts?
1) Initially, astronauts thought that Saturn's rings were moons 2) Saturn has only been visited four times by spacecraft 3) Saturn has 62 moons 4)...
What is the surface of Saturn like?
Saturn is made up almost entirely of hydrogen and helium. If you tried to walk on the surface of Saturn, you would fall into the planet. The high t...
Does Saturn have a nickname?
Yes. It is nicknamed "The Jewel of the Solar System"
How big is Saturn?
Saturn is the second largest planet in our Solar System, after Jupiter.
How long is a year on Saturn?
A year on Saturn is over 29 Earth years. Talk about a slow poke!
How long is a day on Saturn?
Saturn spins on its axis very fast. A day on Saturn is 10 hours and 14 minutes.
What are some interesting facts about Saturn?
Nicknamed the "Jewel of the Solar System," Saturn's beauty reigns over the Solar System. Here are some fun and interesting Saturn facts, including its size , its landscape, rings, temperature, and much more. Saturn is not the only planet with rings. Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune also have rings, ...
How many Earths can fit in Saturn?
Approximately 750 Earths could fit inside of Saturn. [6] The first spacecraft to fly by Saturn was Pioneer 11, which blasted off in 1973 and arrived at Saturn in 1979. Voyagers 1 and 2 also completed fly-bys in 1980 and 1981. Voyager 1 is now the farthest human-made object in space.
What are the moons of Saturn named after?
Many of Saturn’s moons are named after the Titans, the giant brothers and sisters of the god Saturn. Others are named after Inuit, French, and Northern European giants. [3] The geysers on Enceladus not only feed the rings around Saturn but also may contain “ingredients for life.”.
How long does a storm on Saturn last?
Storms on Saturn can last for months or even years. A long-lived 2004 storm on Saturn, named the “Dragon Storm,” created mega- lightning 1,000 times more powerful than lightning on Earth. [3] In early 2010, amateur astronomers spotted a massive ammonia blizzard raging on Saturn.
How long is a day on Earth?
A day on Earth is 24 hours. A day on Saturn is 10 hours 39 minutes. [6] Winds in Saturn’s atmosphere travel up to 1,100 miles (1,800 km.) per hour, much faster than those on Jupiter. The strongest tornadoes on Earth have reached speeds of only about 300 miles (483 km.) per hour.
Which moon has the shiniest surface?
Discovered in 1789 by William Herschel, Saturn’s moon Enceladus (named after the mythological giant) has geysers that erupt icy particles, water vapor, and organic compounds. It is the shiniest object in the solar system because its icy surface reflects most of the light it receives. [3]
When were Saturn's rings discovered?
Though Saturn’s rings weren’t discovered until the 1600s, some scholars theorize ancient cultures may have known about them. For example, the Maori in New Zealand have historically referred to Saturn as Parearau, an ancient name that means “surrounded by a headband.”. [1]
How fast does Saturn spin?
On Earth, the fastest winds "only" get to about 400 kilometers per hour. That's only about 250 miles per hour. Saturn goes around the Sun very slowly. A year on Saturn is more than 29 Earth years. Saturn spins on its axis very fast.
Why does Saturn float in water?
Saturn could float in water because it is mostly made of gas. (Earth is made of rocks and stuff.) It is very windy on Saturn. Winds around the equator can be 1,800 kilometers per hour. That's 1,118 miles per hour! On Earth, the fastest winds "only" get to about 400 kilometers per hour.
What is the ringed planet?
Credit: NASA. Here are some fun facts about the Ringed Planet. Saturn is huge. It is the second largest planet in our Solar System. Jupiter is the only planet that is bigger. You cannot stand on Saturn. It is not like Earth. Saturn is made mostly of gases. It has a lot of helium.
Which planets can float in water?
Image above: Saturn is the only planet that could float in water. That would take a really big bath tub! Credit: NASA. Some of these bits are as small as grains of sand. Some are much larger than tall buildings. Some are up to a kilometer (more than half-a-mile) across. The rings are huge but thin.
Which planet has rings?
Other planets have rings. Saturn's rings are the only ones that can be seen from Earth. All you need is a small telescope. Image above: The planet is named after Saturn. He was the Roman god of farming. Credit: NASA. Saturn could float in water because it is mostly made of gas. (Earth is made of rocks and stuff.)
Is Saturn a planet?
It is a planet that is nothing like our own. Humans have been gazing up at Saturn for a long time. They have been wondering about it for thousands of years. Image above: Earth can fit across Saturn nine times. Credit: NASA. Here are some fun facts about the Ringed Planet. Saturn is huge.
How long is a day on Saturn?
Days at Saturn: Saturn has the second shortest day behind Jupiter. The length of a day on Saturn is 10 hours 32 minutes ; and, did you know how scientists measure this data from various planets? They just spot a crater and wait for the crater to rotate back in view, thus determining the length of a day on a planet.
How many planets are there on Saturn?
36 Important Facts About Saturn. There are eight planets (Pluto was consider a planet between 1930 and 2006, and is currently considered a dwarf planet) in our Solar System and a megastar – the Sun. While all planets revolve around the Sun in different orbits, there are few that have distinctive features as compared to that of the others.
How long does it take Saturn to make one revolution around the Sun?
10. Around the Sun: due to the enormous distance at which the planet is positioned with respect to the Sun, Saturn takes 29.4 Earth years to make one revolution around the Sun.
How powerful is Saturn's magnetic field?
A powerful magnetic: Saturn’s magnetic field is 578 times more powerful than Earth’s magnetic field. 18. History speaks: Saturn was mentioned in the oldest written records by the Assyrians from 700 BCE. They named Saturn, “Star of Ninib”, a sparkle in the night sky. . . . continue reading on the next page.
How fast can the wind blow on Saturn?
Windy and noisy: winds on Saturn can blow as fast as 1800 km per hour while that on the Earth are slower than this. 14. ‘Saturn vs Earth’ in size: given Saturn’s diameter, almost 750 Earths could fit in Saturn and 1600 Saturns could fit inside of the Sun. 15.
How far is Saturn from its equator?
To give you more detail about this, note that the distance from the planet’s center to its equator is 60,300 km while that from its center to its poles is 54,000 km. 9.
Which moon is the shiniest in the solar system?
A popular moon: Enceladus — one of Saturns’ moon — is the shiniest object in the Solar system. It is mainly because of the fact that it is made up mostly of ice that reflects almost all of the light that falls onto it. Enceladus, one of Saturns’ moon. 17.
What is Saturn known for?
Best known for its fabulous ring system, Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest in our solar system. Like Jupiter, Saturn is a gas giant and is composed of similar gasses including hydrogen, helium and methane.
What is Saturn's atmosphere made of?
Saturn’s Atmosphere. Saturn’s atmosphere is composed primarily of hydrogen (96%) and helium (3%) with traces of other substances like methane, ammonia, acetylene, ethane, propane and phosphine.
How thick are Saturn's rings?
The rings stretch out more than 120,700 km from the planet, but are amazingly thin: only about 20 meters thick. Saturn has 150 moons and smaller moonlets. All are frozen worlds. The largest moons are Titan and Rhea.
What are the clouds below Saturn?
Below them, the clouds are largely water ice . Below are layers of cold hydrogen and sulfur ice mixtures. Saturn has oval-shaped storms similar to Jupiter’s. The region around its north pole has a hexagonal-shaped pattern of clouds. Scientists think this may be a wave pattern in the upper clouds.
Why is Saturn called Cronus?
It is named for the Roman god Saturnus, and was known to the Greeks as Cronus. Saturn is the flattest planet. Its polar diameter is 90% of its equatorial diameter, this is due to its low density and fast rotation.
How often does Saturn turn on its axis?
Saturn turns on its axis once every 10 hours and 34 minutes giving it the second-shortest day of any of the solar system’s planets. Saturn orbits the Sun once every 29.4 Earth years. Its slow movement against the backdrop of stars earned it the nickname of “Lubadsagush” from the ancient Assyrians.
How many groups of Saturn's rings are there?
Saturn’s rings are divided into 7 groups, named alphabetically in the order of their discovery (Outwards from Saturn; D, C, B, A, F, G and E). The F ring is kept in place by two of Saturn’s moons, Prometheus and Pandora, these are referred to as ‘shepherd moons’.
What is Saturn called?
First published 17th December 2019 Robin James. Saturn is often called the jewel of the solar system , a planet that can be seen with the naked eye and which people have spent centuries tracking and gazing at, probing the heavenly body at every occasion.
What is the color of Saturn's atmosphere?
In fact, the sunlight reflected from Saturn’s clouds is what gives the planet its golden hue, while the outer layer of ammonia crystals in Saturn’s atmosphere is responsible for its yellow appearance. 12. It’s chilly out there! Saturn has a weaker magnetic field than Jupiter and the Earth.
Why is Saturn the least dense planet in the solar system?
Saturn’s hydrogen consequence. Because of its makeup (primarily hydrogen), its density is less than that of water. This makes it the least dense planet in the solar system. 6. Saturn spins faster than you think! The planet looks flat. In fact, it is the flattest of the planets.
How long does it take Saturn to rotate?
It takes the planet 10 hours and 34 minutes to fully rotate on its axis. This is the duration of a day on Saturn. It takes Saturn 29.4 Earth years to complete its rotation around the Sun. This makes a year on Saturn the equivalent of 29.4 years on Earth.
How far away is Saturn from the Sun?
Saturn is the 6 th planet from the Sun. It is the most distant planet that people on Earth can see with the naked eye. It stands roughly at 1,420,000,000 km from the Sun.
What are the storms on Saturn?
Also, there are oval-shaped storms on Saturn. These are similar to the oval-shaped storms on Jupiter. 4. Inside Saturn. Saturn constitutes hydrogen (75%) and helium (25%). There are trace amounts of ammonia, water, and methane, not to mention some sort of rock.
How thin are Saturn's rings?
The rings are incredibly thin, just 20 metres in thickness. This is despite the fact that the largest among them is 7,000 times Saturn’s diameter. 10. Saturn’s many moons. The planet has 150 moons, with the largest, Titan, being the second-largest moon in the solar system. It only loses out to Jupiter’s Ganymede in size.
How many moons can you see on Saturn?
You can see seven of its moons and its inner rings. In the background you can also see Earth. A portrait looking down on Saturn and its rings. This picture was made from images taken by NASA's Cassini spacecraft in 2013.
What are the rings on Saturn made of?
The rings we see are made of groups of tiny ringlets that surround Saturn. They’re made of chunks of ice and rock. Like Jupiter, Saturn is mostly a ball of hydrogen and helium. All 3D models in the page have loaded. Explore Saturn! Click and drag to rotate the planet. Scroll or pinch to zoom in and out.
When did Galileo Galilei see Saturn?
Credit: NASA Visualization Technology Applications and Development (VTAD) When Galileo Galilei saw Saturn through a telescope in the 1600s, he wasn't sure what he was seeing. At first he thought he was looking at three planets, or a planet with handles.
What spacecraft took this picture of Saturn's rings?
The Cassini spacecraft took this picture of Saturn's rings. You can see the grey and tan colors. This is a picture of Saturn and its moons Tethys and Dione. Voyager 1 took this picture as it passed by. NASA's Cassini spacecraft went behind Saturn and took this picture in 2013.
What is Saturn made of?
Like fellow gas giant Jupiter, Saturn is a massive ball made mostly of hydrogen and helium. Go farther.
How many moons does Saturn have?
Mini Solar System. Saturn has 53 known moons with an additional 29 moons awaiting confirmation of their discovery—that is a total of 82 moons. 7.
How long did Cassini stay on Saturn?
After more than 13 years at Saturn, and with its fate sealed, NASA's Cassini spacecraft bid farewell to the Saturnian system by firing the shutters of its wide-angle camera and capturing this last, full mosaic of Saturn and its rings two days before the spacecraft's dramatic plunge into the planet's atmosphere.
How often does Saturn appear ringless?
Twice every 29 and a half years the great planet Saturn appears ringless. In one of nature's most dramatic examples of "now-you see-them, now-you-don't," NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captured Saturn as the planet's magnificent ring system turned edge-on. Credit: NASA/JPL/STScI.
How far is Saturn from the Sun?
In Dim Light. Saturn is the sixth planet from our Sun (a star) and orbits at a distance of about 886 million miles (1.4 billion kilometers) from the Sun. 3.
Which planet has the most rings?
Saturn isn’t the only planet to have rings, but it definitely has the most beautiful ones. The rings we see are made of groups of tiny ringlets that surround Saturn. They’re made of chunks of ice and rock. Like Jupiter, Saturn is mostly a ball of hydrogen and helium. Visit NASA Space Place for more kid-friendly facts.
Can Earthlings see Saturn's rings?
This is an optical illusion: Earthlings cannot see Saturn's rings when the rings are edge-on as viewed from the Earth. They are barely visible through powerful telescopes. Pop Culture.
Why is Saturn so special?
The gas planet Saturn attracts the attention of many astronomers because of its rings. It is It’s known now that other gas giants have rings also, but in the past, Saturn was considered utterly unique. Perhaps, his rings will become a source of valuable resources for humanity in the future.
How far is Saturn from Earth?
The magnetic field of Saturn extends for a considerable distance, about 620,000 miles (1 million km) from the planet, which is three times the distance between the Earth and the Moon.
What are the rings on Saturn made of?
Saturn’s moon Mimas looks like the Death Star from “Star Wars”. Each of Saturn’s main rings consists of thousands of narrower rings separated by gaps.
What is the second largest planet in the solar system?
Amazing facts about Saturn. Among all the planets in the Solar System, Saturn is the second-largest, and this is without counting its rings! Their diameter is greater than the diameter of Jupiter, the most huge gas giant. It has more moons than any other planet in our system, as many as 82.
How long did it take Cassini to reach Saturn?
The Cassini-Huygens interplanetary research station took 7 years to reach Saturn. The mission was supposed to last 4 years, but in fact, the station worked for 13 years. That’s how Saturn probably looks like from the surface of Titan. There’s a giant Ithaca Chasma canyon on Saturn’s moon Tethys.
Which is bigger, Saturn or Jupiter?
It’s larger than the Moon and Mercury. Only Ganymede, Jupiter’s moon, is 2% larger than Titan in diameter. The width of Saturn ’s rings ranges from 4400 to 50,000 miles (7,000 to 80,000 km), but their thickness is small.
How deep is the crater on Saturn?
The crater walls are 16,500 feet (5 km high) and 33,000 feet (10 km) deep . We can only guess what kind of a monstrous collision left this mark on the surface of Mimas. The change of seasons on Saturn is expressed vividly. However, each of them lasts about 7 standard years.