Saturnian Facts

Saturn

Astronomers think Saturn has a small rocky core. Over the core is a thick layer of liquid hydrogen. The deepest parts of this layer are under so much pressure that the hydrogen acts like a molten metal. Like on Jupiter, the outer cloud layers gradually merge with the liquid underneath, and there is no definite surface.

Viewed from Earth, three main rings can be seen around Saturn, separated by dark gaps. The Voyager spacecraft identified four other fainter rings, one inside and three outside the three brightest. In the Voyager images, the rings look 'grooved', as if they are made up of large numbers of narrow ringlets. The rings consist of many individual pieces of a mixture of ice and dust, ranging in size from a few inches to a few yards across.

Astronomers using Earth-based telescopes have identified eleven moons orbiting Saturn, and the Voyager spacecraft discovered seven more. However, the exact number of moons is unknown. There are probably more of them, in the form of rocks no larger than a few miles across.

Saturn's largest moon, Titan, is particularly interesting: it is the only moon in the Solar System with a thick atmosphere. Titan appears orange in color, but its opaque atmosphere prevents us seeing the surface. US space scientists have planned a space probe that they hope will land on Titan in about 2002.

Saturnian Facts

Mass(kg)	5.69x10^26
Diameter(km)	120,660
Mean Density(kg/m^3)	690
Escape Velocity(m/sec)	35,600
Average distance from Sun (AU)	9.539
Rotational Period (Length of day in Earth hours)	10.2
Revolution period (Length of year in Earth years)	29.46
Obliquity (Tilt of axis in degrees)	26.7�
Orbit Inclination	2.49�
Orbit Eccentricity (deviation from circular)	0.056
Mean Temperature (In Kelvin)	88�K
Visual Geometric Albedo(Reflectivity)	0.46

Atmospheric Components	97% Hydrogen, 3% Helium, .05% Methane
Rings	Rings are 270,000 km in diameter, but only a few hundred meters thick. Particles are centimeters to decameters in size and are ice (some may be covered with ice); there are traces of silicate and carbon minerals. There are four main ring groups and three more faint, narrow ring groups separated by gaps called divisions.

Saturn's Largest Moons

Name	Diameter(miles)	Average distance from planet (miles)
Mimas	242	115,022
Enceladus	310	147,572
Tethys	650	182,689
Dione	694	233,988
Rhea	947	332,964
Titan	3193	757,547
Hyperion	180	918,220
Iapetus	893	2,208,000
Phoebe	136	8,030,240

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