Saturn, the colossal planet, stands second in the solar system after Mercury. For many astronomy enthusiasts, it exerts a peculiar fascination.
Floating in Water
The primary composition of Saturn consists of hydrogen and helium gas, meaning you can’t stand on its surface like on Earth’s.
Scientists also speculate that Saturn could float if placed in water because it’s the only planet in the solar system with a density lower than that of water, around 30% less.
This planet also has the lowest density in the solar system.
Short Days, Long Years
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Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun – Image: NASA
Saturn rotates swiftly around its axis. Today, scientists agree that one day on this planet lasts 10 hours, 32 minutes, and 35 seconds.
Conversely, Saturn orbits the sun slowly. One Saturnian year is equivalent to about 10,759 Earth days, approximately 29.5 Earth years.
Most Flattened Spheroid in the Solar System
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Due to its rapid rotation around the axis, Saturn becomes flattened.
Its rapid rotation wears Saturn down, making it remarkably flattened.
Specifically, the planet’s equator bulges, causing its poles to flatten. The distance between its poles measures 54,364 km, differing from its equatorial diameter of 60,268 km by approximately 10%.
Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars are all colossal gas planets, but Saturn experiences the most pronounced flattening.
Golden Glow
When viewed from Earth, Saturn exhibits a pale yellow color, being one of the brightest objects in the night sky. Its main component is hydrogen, rendering it eight times less dense than Earth.
Saturn is replete with winds. Winds at the equatorial region can reach speeds of up to 1,800 km/h, whereas Earth’s maximum wind speed is only 400 km/h.
A Plethora of “Monstrous” Moons
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Titan – the largest moon of Saturn and the second largest in the Solar System – Image: NASA
Saturn currently hosts at least 62 natural moons, of which 53 have been named. They consist mainly of rock, methane, ammonia, and CO2, some forming around the time Saturn came into being.
Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, is also the solar system’s second-largest moon after Ganymede. These moons’ compositions are primarily nitrogen combined with rock and ice. While questions of life on Titan arise, any life there would be vastly different from Earth.
Only four spacecraft have visited Saturn, namely Pioneer 11, Voyager 1 and 2, and Cassini-Huygen.
Hexagonal North Pole, Circular South Pole
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Hexagonal vortex at the north pole of Saturn – Image: NASA
The atmospheric vortices at Saturn’s north pole take on the shape of a hexagon, discovered by the Voyager spacecraft. The straight sides of this hexagon measure around 13,800 km, larger than Earth’s diameter.
Meanwhile, images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope show the presence of a high-speed air current at the southern pole but no developed atmospheric vortices or hexagonal structures like at the north pole.
Named After the God of Time
Saturn rotates quickly but orbits the sun slowly. This contrast between rapidity and sluggishness led the ancient Greeks to associate Saturn with the passage of time and name the planet Cronus, the god of time. In Latin, this planet is known as Saturn.
Furthermore, Saturn is associated with the seventh day of the week – Saturday.
In astrology, Saturn governs the signs Capricorn and Aquarius.
The Widest Belt
Saturn possesses the widest belt system in the solar system. While other planets also have belts, Saturn’s belt is unique in being visible from Earth.
These belts contain countless elements ranging from tiny grains, like ordinary sand, to sizes larger than skyscrapers, even with diameters exceeding a kilometer. They originate from ice, dust, or fragments left by comets, asteroids, or moons disintegrating in space.
Galileo Galilei was the first to observe Saturn’s belts in 1610, although he did not understand their nature, assuming they were… moons of Saturn. Then, in 1655, Dutch astronomer Christian Huygens, armed with a superior telescope, was able to discern that these “moons” were actually narrow and exceedingly wide elliptical features.
The outer belt’s circumference is comparable to the distance from Earth to the moon, yet its width is only about 20 meters.