Discovering Saturn and its Characteristics
- Saturn is named after the Roman God named Saturnus. In the Roman mythology, Saturn is the god of agriculture.
- In 1610 Galileo Gallilei first spotted Saturn's rings using his telescope he built. Saturn has many rings. The exact number is not known. It's rings are very thin and made of ice
Position in Solar System and Distance From Sun/Earth
Saturn is the sixth planet from the sun. The distance from the sun is 890.7 million miles away. It is 745,645,000 miles away from Earth.
Saturn's Rotation (Day) and Revolution (Year) Time
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Saturn’s Size (Rank, Diameter, Mass) and Force of Gravity
- The diameter of the planet is 74,898 miles. Its polar diameter is 67,560 miles. It is about 9.4 times the diameter of Earth.
- It’s mass is 5.68e26 kg.
- The actual gravity pulling at any spot on the surface is only 91% of Earth's gravity.
- An object that weighs 100 pounds on Earth would weigh 107 pounds on Saturn.
Type of Planet
Saturn is a gas giant planet. It has a rocky core. The rocky core has a radius about three times the radius of Earth. Above the core there is a liquid hydrogen metallic layer. Above that layer there is a molecular hydrogen layer.
Saturn's Atmosphere and Weather
Saturn has a thin atmosphere. The planet’s atmosphere is made up of 97 % hydrogen and 3% helium.
Saturn's temperature is an average of minus 288 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 178 degrees Celsius)
Saturn has extremely high velocity winds on its atmosphere.
The wind speed on Saturn is measured as high as 188 miles/hr.
Saturn's temperature is an average of minus 288 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 178 degrees Celsius)
Saturn has extremely high velocity winds on its atmosphere.
The wind speed on Saturn is measured as high as 188 miles/hr.