Things You'll Need:
- Internet access
- Geometry books
- Astronomy books
- Mythology books
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Step 1
Search science and astronomy Web sites and books to learn about the best-known aspect of Saturn--its rings, that are the most prominent in our solar system. Make sure to look for facts about Saturn's atmosphere, surface temperature, mass and orbit.
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Step 2
Read up on mythology and ancient astronomy. Look for information about Saturn's place in Roman mythology as the god of agriculture and in Greek mythology as Cronus, the son of Uranus. Also make sure to look for facts about Greek astronomy.
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Step 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.
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Step 4
Include a study on how Christiaan Huygens deduced the geometry of the rings in 1659. Learn also that Saturn's rings are not stable and probably maintained by the breakup of larger satellites. Saturn's rings were thought to be unique until 1977 when very faint rings were discovered around Uranus.
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Step 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 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.
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Step 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 4 additional faint rings. Voyager also found radial features in the B ring.
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Step 7
Look for information from Cassini (a joint NASA/ESA project) which arrived on July 1, 2004.
