Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun in our solar system, known primarily for its distinctive ring system.
Stars and one of the planets
One of the planets of the solar system
Saturn coloring book for kids
A planet and a flying rocket
Planet Saturn
A planet with a ring
Saturn for kids printable
Saturn coloring book for kids
Ufo lands on planet
Saturn - interesting facts and information
- Saturn's rings: Saturn is best known for its complex ring system. These rings are mainly composed of ice particles, with an admixture of fine rock particles. The rings are incredibly thin compared to their span - although they extend thousands of kilometers from the planet, they are only a few meters thick.
- Moons: Saturn has 82 known moons, more than any other planet in our solar system. The largest of these is Titan, the second largest moon in the solar system, larger even than the planet Mercury. Titan is the only known moon to have a significant atmosphere, and one of the few places in the Solar System that scientists consider potentially hospitable to life.
- Atmosphere: Saturn's atmosphere consists mainly of hydrogen with a touch of helium, as does Jupiter. Saturn's color is due to its upper layers of ammonia clouds.
- Day and year: One day on Saturn (the time it takes to rotate around its axis) takes about 10.7 Earth hours, and one Saturn year (the time it takes to circle the Sun) takes about 29.5 Earth years.
- Distance from the Sun: Saturn's average distance from the Sun is about 1.4 billion kilometers.
- Saturn survey: Saturn has been visited by several space missions, most significantly by the Pioneer 11, Voyager 1 and 2 probes and the Cassini-Huygens mission, which spent 13 years orbiting the planet, providing detailed information about the planet, its rings and moons.
- Name: Saturn was named after the Roman god of agriculture and harvest, the counterpart of the Greek god Kronos. Its astronomical symbol represents the god's sickle.
