Yahoo Web Search

Search results

  1. Size and Distance. With an equatorial diameter of about 74,897 miles (120,500 kilometers), Saturn is 9 times wider than Earth. If Earth were the size of a nickel, Saturn would be about as big as a volleyball. From an average distance of 886 million miles (1.4 billion kilometers), Saturn is 9.5 astronomical units away from the Sun.

    • Facts About Saturn
    • Saturn’s Rings
    • Saturn’s Atmosphere
    Saturn is the most distant planet that can be seen with the naked eye. It is the fifth brightest object in the solar systemand is also easily studied through binoculars or a small telescope.
    Saturn was known to the ancients, including the Babylonians and Far Eastern observers. It is named for the Roman god Saturnus, and was known to the Greeks as Cronus.
    Saturn is the flattest planet. Its polar diameter is 90% of its equatorial diameter, this is due to its low density and fast rotation. Saturn turns on its axis once every 10 hours and 34 minutes gi...
    Saturn orbits the Sun once every 29.4 Earth years. Its slow movement against the backdrop of stars earned it the nickname of “Lubadsagush” from the ancient Assyrians. The name means “oldest of the...

    While all the gas giants in our solar system have rings none of them are as extensive or distinctive as Saturn’s. The rings were discovered by Galileo Galilei 1610 who observed them with a telescope. The first ‘up close’ view of the rings were by Pioneer 11 spacecraft which flew by Saturn on September 1, 1971. Saturn’s rings are made up of are bill...

    Saturn’s atmosphere is composed primarily of hydrogen (96%) and helium (3%) with traces of other substances like methane, ammonia, acetylene, ethane, propane and phosphine. Winds in the upper atmosphere can reach speeds of 500 metres a second, these combined with heat rising from within the planet’s interior cause yellow and gold bands. Sources: ht...

  2. People also ask

    • Saturn is also known as the “Jewel of the Solar System,” because of its beautiful rings and appearance.
    • It is the 6th planet from the Sun and also the farthest that can be seen with the naked eye (Order of the planets from the Sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto (the dwarf planet)).
    • Saturn rotates from West to East which is also the direction of Earth’s rotation.
    • In size, Saturn is the 2nd largest of all planets, behind Jupiter.
    • The Big Picture: Saturn Within Our Solar System. Saturn’s the sixth-farthest planet from the Sun. It spins about 886 million miles from our home star, past Jupiter and inward of Neptune’s orbit.
    • Gas Giant Indeed: Saturn’s Size. Saturn’s the second-biggest planet of all. Its diameter—not counting the far-reaching rings—spans about nine Earths lined up side-by-side.
    • The Makeup of a Gas Giant: Saturn’s Structure. Like Jupiter, its gas-giant cousin, Saturn consists mainly of hydrogen and helium with a small rocky core.
    • Saturn’s Short Days & Long Years. Saturn boasts the second-swiftest rotation in the Solar System (after its gas-giant neighbor Jupiter). Its fast spin around its axis gives the planet a day-length of roughly 10 hours, 15 minutes.
  3. Fun Facts about Saturn Size of Saturn compared to the Earth More Information and Interesting Facts About Saturn Other than Earth, Saturn is easily the most recognizable planet in the Solar System. The reason for this is obvious. Although the other gas giants possess a planetary ring system, none can match the size or beauty […]

  4. In Depth. Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest planet in our solar system. Like fellow gas giant Jupiter, Saturn is a massive ball made mostly of hydrogen and helium. Saturn is not the only planet to have rings, but none are as spectacular or as complex as Saturn's. Saturn also has dozens of moons.

  1. People also search for