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Saturn is the second largest planet in the Solar System, about 95 times the mass of the Earth. However, compared to Jupiter, Saturn is tiny. It is only 30% the mass of Jupiter. Its radius at the equator is 9.44 times that of Earth and its polar radius is only 8.5 times Earth's. Despite this, if you could stand on Saturn, you would feel the same gravity as you do on Earth. Its day is just a little longer than Jupiter's at 10.57 Earth hours. Its average distance from the Sun is 9.5 AU which gives it an orbital period of 29.46 Earth years. It has an inclination of 26.5° with respect to its orbit and its orbit is only tilted at 2.5° to the ecliptic (the orbit of the Earth). With respect to the Sun's equator, it is tilted at 5.51°.
The thing Saturn is most known for is seen in the above image from Voyager 2. Its ring system is the most extensive of all the Jovian planets and Saturn has been known to have rings since the 1600s. The rings are a fascinating aspect of the most beautiful planet (in my opinion) in our Solar System, so that I can't talk about all rings in only one post. Stay tuned to learn a lot about Saturn's rings.
Saturn also has many moons, almost three times as many as Jupiter with 150 known, though only 51 have formal names. The largest satellite in the Solar System, Titan, belongs to Saturn and could be considered a mini-world in its own right. It also has moons that keep some of Saturn's rings in line, called shepherd satellites. It has a moon that doesn't look like a moon and moons that share an orbit.
Saturn's composition is similar to Jupiter, containing the same gases, but in different concentrations. This difference in concentrations, the thickness of its atmosphere, and the size of its heavy element core give rise to a strange phenomenon when looking at Saturn's density.
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