Facts About the Planet Saturn

The gas giant Saturn, named after the god Saturnus, is the sixth planet from the Sun in the solar system. It averages 869,919,669 miles from the sun. Study of Saturn began thousands of years ago and discoveries are still being made today.

Composition

Saturn's outer body (atmosphere) is made of hydrogen (96.3 percent) and helium (3.25 percent) as well as traces of methane, ammonia, ethane, acetylene and phosphine.

Misconceptions

Due to it being a gas giant, the outer layer of Saturn's body is also its atmosphere. Its core is made of ice and rock coated by metallic hydrogen.

Rings

The rings are mainly ice (about 93 percent) with traces of thiolin, and dust and rocks (about 7 percent). The rings are approximately 65.6 feet thick.

Moons

Saturn has 61 known moons, the largest of which is Titan. Titan is also the solar system's second largest moon.

Considerations

When calculated in terms of days on earth, one diurnal year on Saturn is approximately to 29.5 diurnal Earth years, or 10,759 Earth days.

Shape

Saturn's shape is an oblate spheroid. This means that it bulges at its equator and is flat at its poles.

References

• Starry Night Times
• Saturn
• The Composition of Saturn's Atmosphere at Temperate Northern Latitudes from Voyager IRIS spectra