How to Find More Information About Saturn

Saturn is best known for the series of rings surrounding it. This ringed planet has so much to offer to students not only of science, but also of history and mythology, thanks to Greek and Roman legend. The following steps will aid in your search for a wide variety of information about this fascinating planet.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Internet
• Books about astronomy
• Books about Greek and Roman mythology

1. Search science and astronomy Web sites and books to learn about the best-known aspect of Saturn— its rings are the most prominent in our solar system. Make sure to look for facts about Saturn's atmosphere, surface temperature, mass and orbit.

2. Read up on mythology and ancient astronomy. Look for information about the planet's place in Roman mythology as the god of agriculture and in Greek mythology as Cronus, the son of Uranus and Gaia and the father of Zeus. Also make sure to look for facts about Greek astronomy.

3. Look for information about how Galileo was the first to observe Saturn with a telescope in 1610 and was confused by its odd appearance. Early observations of Saturn were complicated by the fact that the Earth passes through the plane of Saturn's rings every few years, changing Saturn's appearance drastically.

4. Include a study on how Christiaan Huygens correctly determined the geometry of the rings in 1659. Learn also that Saturn's rings are not stable and must be regenerated by ongoing processes. They also remained unique until 1977 when very faint rings were discovered around Uranus.

5. Search for information on viewing Saturn. Realize that Saturn is easily visible to the unaided eye when it is in the night sky. It is easy to identify as a planet because it doesn't twinkle like the stars do. The rings and the larger satellites are visible with a small astronomical telescope. Saturn's ring system makes the planet one of the most beautiful objects in the solar system.

6. Read about Saturn's first visit by NASA's Pioneer 11 in 1979 and later by Voyager 1 and Voyager 2. These probes studied the details of Saturn's atmospheric circulation and discovered four additional faint rings. Voyager also found radial, spoke-like features in the broad B-ring.

7. Look for continuing information from Cassini (a joint NASA/ESA project) which arrived on July 1, 2004 and will orbit Saturn for at least four years. Cassini consists of a Saturn orbiter and Titan atmosphere probe and will make many observations of both Saturn and Titan.