Saturn
The most visually stunning planet in our solar system
The Sixth Planet from the Sun
Overview
Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant with an average radius about nine times that of Earth. It has only one-eighth the average density of Earth, but with its larger volume, Saturn is over 95 times more massive.
Saturn is named after the Roman god of wealth and agriculture. Its astronomical symbol (♄) represents the god's sickle. Saturn's interior is most likely composed of a core of iron–nickel and rock (silicon and oxygen compounds).
The planet's most famous feature is its prominent ring system, which is composed mainly of ice particles, with a smaller amount of rocky debris and dust.
The Magnificent Rings
Saturn's rings are the most extensive ring system of any planet in the Solar System. They consist of countless small particles, ranging in size from micrometers to meters, that orbit Saturn. The ring particles are made almost entirely of water ice, with a trace component of rocky material.
Ring Structure
The rings are divided into several sections labeled D, C, B, A, F, G, and E (in order of increasing distance from Saturn). The main rings are A, B, and C. The F ring is just outside the A ring, and beyond that are the much fainter G and E rings.
Density
Less dense than water
Ring Width
But only about 10 meters thick
Moons
Confirmed natural satellites
Despite their impressive appearance, Saturn's rings are incredibly thin – in most places, only about 10 meters (30 feet) thick. If you scaled Saturn down to the size of a basketball, the rings would be thinner than a sheet of paper.
Fascinating Moons
Saturn has 146 known moons, and the number continues to grow as astronomers make new discoveries. The moons range in size from Titan, which is larger than the planet Mercury, to small moonlets only a few hundred meters across.
Titan
The only moon with a substantial atmosphere and the only world besides Earth with stable liquid on its surface (methane lakes).
Enceladus
Has geysers that shoot water vapor and ice particles into space from a subsurface ocean that may harbor life.
Mimas
Known as the "Death Star" moon due to its massive Herschel Crater that makes it resemble the Star Wars space station.
Iapetus
Famous for its two-tone coloration and a massive equatorial ridge that gives it a walnut-like appearance.
Saturn Exploration
Saturn has been visited by four spacecraft: Pioneer 11, Voyager 1, Voyager 2, and Cassini-Huygens. The Cassini mission, which arrived in 2004, provided the most detailed study of the Saturn system to date.
Cassini-Huygens Mission
The Cassini spacecraft orbited Saturn for 13 years, from 2004 to 2017, revolutionizing our understanding of the Saturn system. The Huygens probe landed on Titan in 2005, providing the first images from the surface of a moon other than our own.
Cassini's Grand Finale involved a series of daring orbits between Saturn and its rings before the spacecraft was intentionally plunged into Saturn's atmosphere to prevent contamination of potentially habitable moons.
Amazing Facts About Saturn
Would Float
Saturn has such low density that it would float in water if there were a bathtub large enough.
Hexagonal Storm
Saturn has a persistent hexagonal-shaped storm at its north pole, each side longer than Earth's diameter.
Short Days
A day on Saturn is only 10.7 hours long, but a year lasts 29.4 Earth years.
Ice Rings
Saturn's rings are about 99% water ice, which makes them highly reflective.
Saturn's Scale
Saturn's immense size is difficult to comprehend. To help visualize its scale:
Diameter: 116,460 km
Volume: 764 Earths could fit inside Saturn
Despite being the second largest planet, Saturn is the least dense of all the planets. Its specific gravity (0.7) is less than that of water, meaning it would float in a large enough body of water.
Future Exploration
Future missions to Saturn will likely focus on its intriguing moons, particularly Enceladus and Titan, which are considered among the most promising places in the solar system to search for evidence of extraterrestrial life.
Proposed missions include orbiters and landers that would study the subsurface oceans of these moons, analyze their complex chemistry, and search for biosignatures. The Dragonfly mission, scheduled to launch in 2027, will send a drone-like rotorcraft to explore multiple locations on Titan.
These future explorations may reveal whether life exists beyond Earth and help us understand the potential for habitable environments elsewhere in our solar system.