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Saturn

OVERVIEW

IN DEPTH BY THE NUMBERS

EXPLORATION

GALLERIES

ON THIS PAGE

Introduction

Size and Distance

Orbit and Rotation

Structure

Formation

Surface

Atmosphere

Magnetosphere

Rings

Moons

Potential for Life

Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in our solar system. Adorned with a
dazzling system of icy rings, Saturn is unique among the planets. It is not the only planet to have rings,
but none are as spectacular or as complex as Saturn's. Like fellow gas giant Jupiter, Saturn is a massive
ball made mostly of hydrogen and helium.
Surrounded by more than 60 known moons, Saturn is home to some of the most fascinating landscapes
in our solar system. From the jets of water that spray from Enceladus to the methane lakes on smoggy
Titan, the Saturn system is a rich source of scientific discovery and still holds many mysteries.

The farthest planet from Earth discovered by the unaided human eye, Saturn has been known since
ancient times. The planet is named for the Roman god of agriculture and wealth, who was also the
father of Jupiter.

Size and Distance

With a radius of 36,183.7 miles (58,232 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. One astronomical unit (abbreviated as AU), is the distance from the Sun to Earth.
From this distance, it takes sunlight 80 minutes to travel from the Sun to Saturn.

A 3D model of Saturn, the ringed gas giant planet. Credit: NASA Visualization Technology Applications
and Development (VTAD)

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Orbit and Rotation

Saturn has the second-shortest day in the solar system. One day on Saturn takes only 10.7 hours (the
time it takes for Saturn to rotate or spin around once), and Saturn makes a complete orbit around the
Sun (a year in Saturnian time) in about 29.4 Earth years (10,756 Earth days).

Its axis is tilted by 26.73 degrees with respect to its orbit around the Sun, which is similar to Earth's 23.5-
degree tilt. This means that, like Earth, Saturn experiences seasons.

Structure
Like Jupiter, Saturn is made mostly of hydrogen and helium. At Saturn's center is a dense core of metals
like iron and nickel surrounded by rocky material and other compounds solidified by the intense
pressure and heat. It is enveloped by liquid metallic hydrogen inside a layer of liquid hydrogen—similar
to Jupiter's core but considerably smaller.

It's hard to imagine, but Saturn is the only planet in our solar system whose average density is less than
water. The giant gas planet could float in a bathtub if such a colossal thing existed.

Formation

Saturn took shape when the rest of the solar system formed about 4.5 billion years ago, when gravity
pulled swirling gas and dust in to become this gas giant. About 4 billion years ago, Saturn settled into its
current position in the outer solar system, where it is the sixth planet from the Sun. Like Jupiter, Saturn
is mostly made of hydrogen and helium, the same two main components that make up the Sun.

Surface

As a gas giant, Saturn doesn’t have a true surface. The planet is mostly swirling gases and liquids deeper
down. While a spacecraft would have nowhere to land on Saturn, it wouldn’t be able to fly through
unscathed either. The extreme pressures and temperatures deep inside the planet crush, melt and
vaporize spacecraft trying to fly into the planet.

Atmosphere

Saturn is blanketed with clouds that appear as faint stripes, jet streams and storms. The planet is many
different shades of yellow, brown and grey.

Winds in the upper atmosphere reach 1,600 feet per second (500 meters per second) in the equatorial
region. In contrast, the strongest hurricane-force winds on Earth top out at about 360 feet per second
(110 meters per second). And the pressure—the same kind you feel when you dive deep underwater—is
so powerful it squeezes gas into liquid.

Saturn's north pole has an interesting atmospheric feature—a six-sided jet stream. This hexagon-shaped
pattern was first noticed in images from the Voyager I spacecraft and has been more closely observed by
the Cassini spacecraft since. Spanning about 20,000 miles (30,000 kilometers) across, the hexagon is a
wavy jet stream of 200-mile-per-hour winds (about 322 kilometers per hour) with a massive, rotating
storm at the center. There is no weather feature like it anywhere else in the solar system.

Magnetosphere

Saturn's magnetic field is smaller than Jupiter's but still 578 times as powerful as Earth's. Saturn, the
rings, and many of the satellites lie totally within Saturn's enormous magnetosphere, the region of space
in which the behavior of electrically charged particles is influenced more by Saturn's magnetic field than
by the solar wind.

Aurorae occur when charged particles spiral into a planet's atmosphere along magnetic field lines. On
Earth, these charged particles come from the solar wind. Cassini showed that at least some of Saturn's
aurorae are like Jupiter's and are largely unaffected by the solar wind. Instead, these aurorae are caused
by a combination of particles ejected from Saturn's moons and Saturn's magnetic field's rapid rotation
rate. But these "non-solar-originating" aurorae are not completely understood yet.

Rings

Saturn's rings are thought to be pieces of comets, asteroids or shattered moons that broke up before
they reached the planet, torn apart by Saturn's powerful gravity. They are made of billions of small
chunks of ice and rock coated with another material such as dust. The ring particles mostly range from
tiny, dust-sized icy grains to chunks as big as a house. A few particles are as large as mountains. The rings
would look mostly white if you looked at them from the cloud tops of Saturn, and interestingly, each
ring orbits at a different speed around the planet.

Saturn's ring system extends up to 175,000 miles (282,000 kilometers) from the planet, yet the vertical
height is typically about 30 feet (10 meters) in the main rings. Named alphabetically in the order they
were discovered, the rings are relatively close to each other, with the exception of a gap measuring
2,920 miles (4,700 kilometers) wide called the Cassini Division that separates Rings A and B. The main
rings are A, B and C. Rings D, E, F and G are fainter and more recently discovered.

Starting at Saturn and moving outward, there is the D ring, C ring, B ring, Cassini Division, A ring, F ring, G
ring, and finally, the E ring. Much farther out, there is the very faint Phoebe ring in the orbit of Saturn's
moon Phoebe.
Moons

Saturn is home to a vast array of intriguing and unique worlds. From the haze-shrouded surface of Titan
to crater-riddled Phoebe, each of Saturn's moons tells another piece of the story surrounding the Saturn
system. Currently Saturn has 53 confirmed moons with 29 additional provisional moons awaiting
confirmation.

Saturn and Titan

This Cassini image from 2012 shows Titan and its host planet Saturn. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI

Potential for Life

Saturn's environment is not conducive to life as we know it. The temperatures, pressures and materials
that characterize this planet are most likely too extreme and volatile for organisms to adapt to.

While planet Saturn is an unlikely place for living things to take hold, the same is not true of some of its
many moons. Satellites like Enceladus and Titan, home to internal oceans, could possibly support life.

Quick Facts

Day

10.7 hours

Year

29 Earth years

Radius

36,183.7 miles | 58,232 kilometers

Planet Type

Gas giant
Moons

53 confirmed | 29 provisional

Cassini Legacy Site

Everything you need to know—and then some—about the Cassini mission’s epic exploration of the
Saturn system.

Go to Mission Overview ›

Page Updated: December 19, 2019

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 THE NINE PLANETS
Saturn Facts
The most recognizable planet with a system of icy rings,
Saturn is a very unique and interesting planet.
 Planets




Saturn is the sixth planet from the sun, with the largest
planetary rings in the Solar System. It is the second-
largest planet after Jupiter, and recently, with many
other moons being discovered, it surpassed the number
of Jupiter’s moons and is now considered the planet
with the most numerous satellites.

Key Facts & Summary

 Since ancient times Saturn was known to humanity because of
its brightness and closeness to Earth. It’s not possible to give
someone credit for the discovery of Saturn, however, the first
telescopic observation was conducted by Galileo Galilei in 1610.
 Because of the crude telescope available at the time, Galileo
failed to observe the rings of Saturn. The discovery of the rings
was made by Christiaan Huygens in 1659.
 Saturn is named after the Roman god of harvest and time, the
equivalent of the Greek god of time, Cronos.
 Out of the five visible planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter),
Saturn is the most distant from Earth, at a distance of 10.6 AU
and an average of 9.6 AU away from the Sun. Light takes
approximately 1 hour and 29 minutes to travel from Saturn and
then arrive at us. For an actual and accurate position of Saturn,
you can check it up online, as the planet is constantly tracked.
 Saturn is the second-largest planet of the Solar System, second
only to Jupiter, having a radius of 58.232 km or 36.183 mi,
about nine times that of Earth.
 It has a diameter of 120.536 km or 74.897 mi, almost 9.5 times
bigger than the diameter of Earth and a surface area about 83
times greater.
 The rings of Saturn are the most extensive of any other planet.
They cannot be seen without an unaided eye. Generally, only 3
rings can be seen by regular telescopes, powerful telescopes
can view 8 rings and when the spacecraft Cassini orbited
Saturn, it counted well above 30 rings. It is important to
understand that these rings are actually countless since they
are comprised of millions of generally small rocks creating
illusions of ring systems.
 The ring system of Saturn can extend up to 282.000 km /
175.000 mi from the planet. The rings of Saturn together with
 the planet itself can fit in the distance between the Earth and
the Moon.
 It is the most oblate planet in the Solar System, with its
equatorial diameter of 120.536 km / 74.897 mi, being greater
than the planet’s polar diameter of 108,728 km / 67.560 mi. If
viewed from a small telescope it appears flattened.
 Saturn has the lowest density of all the planets – 687 kg/m³ –
or in other words, it is lighter than water thus if placed on
water, it would float.
 The low density is attributed to its composition. The planet is
largely made up of gases such as hydrogen and helium.
 This together with its atmosphere that is composed of
ammonia – yellow, ammonia hydrosulfide – orange, and water –
white – influence the planet’s colorful appearance of a
brownish-yellow.
 Saturn rotates quite quickly on its axis, completing a rotation
or day in about 10.6 hours. However, its orbit around the Sun is
slow, completing one trip around the Sun or a year, in about
29.5 Earth years.
 The temperature of Saturn’s upper atmosphere is on average
about -175C (-285F), quite cold for a gas giant, while below the
clouds it gets considerably hotter.
 Due to Saturn’s axial tilt of 26.73 degrees, similar to that of
Earth, the southern and northern hemispheres are heated
differently, causing seasonal temperature variations. Much of
these variations in temperature are horizontal.
 Though it doesn’t have a solid surface, being enveloped in
swirling gases and liquids deeper down, it is believed that
Saturn has a core much smaller than Jupiter, almost twice the
size of Earth – comprised mostly of metals like iron and nickel
surrounded by rocky material, and other compounds, solidified
by the intense pressure and heat.
 Periodic storms are present on Saturn. They are large enough
to be seen from Earth and are named White Spots.
 Recently, many other moons were discovered orbiting around
Saturn, thus making the second-largest gas giant the planet
with the most numerous satellites. Saturn now has 82
confirmed moons.
  The largest moon of Saturn is named Titan. It’s the second
biggest moon in the Solar System after Jupiter’s moon
Ganymede. Titan is even bigger than the planet Mercury.
 Though the potential for life is zero for Saturn, many of its
moons such as Titan or Enceladus, have internal oceans that
could possibly hold life.

Saturn – also nicknamed the “Ringed Planet” – has been observed

since ancient times by different cultures around the world. Because
of this, no one can be credited with first discovering the planet.
Though it is the most distant of the visible planets, it still can be
seen with the naked eye.
The first telescopic observation was conducted by Galileo Galilei in
1610. Because of the crude telescope available at the time, Galileo
failed to observe the rings of Saturn. He thought that the planet was
surrounded very closely by two moons but when he looked again,
the objects disappeared. After a couple of years, observations made
by Christiaan Huygens in 1659, elucidated the mystery, concluding
that in fact, the objects were a ring system surrounding Saturn.

Because of the planet’s slow orbit around the sun, it was associated
with time, and due to its golden-like glow, it was also associated
with wealth.  It was thus named after the Roman god of wealth and
agriculture Saturn, which is the equivalent of the Greek god of time,
Cronos.

Formation
Saturn formed together with the rest of the solar system about 4.5
billion years ago. Gravity pulled swirling gas and dust together and
thus the gas giant was created. About 4 billion years ago, Saturn
settled into its current position in the outer solar system.
Like Jupiter, Saturn is mostly made of hydrogen and helium, the
same two main components that make up the Sun.

Distance, Size, and Mass

Saturn is about 9.5 times farther away from the Sun than Earth. At a
distance of 9.6 AU away from the Sun and 10.6 AU away from Earth,
it is the sixth most distant planet.

Light takes approximately 1 hour and 29 minutes to travel from

Saturn and then arrive at Earth. It is the second-largest planet in the
Solar System, having a radius of 58.232 km or 36.183 mi, about nine
times that of Earth and a diameter of 120.536 km or 74.897 mi,
almost 9.5 times bigger than the diameter of Earth. 

The surface area is about 83 times bigger than our planet, and the
mass of Saturn is about 95 times greater.
Though the volume of Saturn is about 764 times that of Earth, it is
the least dense planet in the solar system. Earth is 8 times denser
than Saturn, and if it would have a surface, the gravity would be
similar. The density of Saturn has been estimated to be about 0.687
g/cm3, less dense than water due to its gaseous composition.

Orbit and Rotation

Saturn has the second-shortest day in the solar system, completing
a rotation quite quickly, in about 10.6 hours. However, its orbit
around the Sun is slow, completing one trip around the Sun or a
year, in about 29.5 Earth years. Its average orbital speed is about
9.68 km/s – 6.01 mi/s.
The elliptical orbit of Saturn is inclined 2.48° relative to the orbital
plane of the Earth. The perihelion and aphelion distances are,
respectively, 9.195 and 9.957 AU, on average.

Axial tilt

Due to Saturn’s axial tilt of 26.73 degrees, similar to that of Earth,

the southern and northern hemispheres are heated differently,
causing seasonal temperature variations. Much of these variations in
temperature are horizontal.

Structure
Predominately composed out of hydrogen and helium, Saturn’s
density is the lowest out of all the planets in the Solar System,
having no true surface just like Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune.

It does have a dense core in the center, composed out of water, ice,
and rocky materials, but no actual landmass. The core is believed to
be similar to that of Jupiter – rocky, enveloped by a liquid metallic
hydrogen layer and a molecular hydrogen layer with traces of
various ices.

The interior is very hot at the core – 12.000 K / 11,700 °C – and it

radiates 2.5 times the amount of energy it produces into space than
it receives from the Sun. It is estimated that the core’s mass is
about 9-22 times bigger than that of Earth. This would result in a
diameter of 25.000 km/15.534 mi or almost two times the size of
Earth. 

The thick liquid metallic hydrogen layer followed by a liquid layer of

helium-saturated molecular hydrogen gradually transitions to a gas
with increasing altitude. The outermost layer spans 1,000 km / 621
mi and consists of gas.

Atmosphere 

Covered with clouds that appear as faint stripes, jet streams and
storms, Saturn’s upper atmosphere is characterized by winds that
can reach up to 1,600 feet / 500 meters per second. 

The atmosphere’s pressure is strong enough that it squeezes gas

into liquid. The temperature of Saturn’s upper atmosphere is on
average about -175C (-285F), quite cold for a gas giant, while below
the clouds it gets considerably hotter.

The atmosphere is composed of ammonia, ammonia hydrosulfide,

and water that influence the planet’s colorful appearance of a
brownish-yellow. The outer atmosphere of Saturn contains 96.3%
molecular hydrogen and 3.25% helium by volume.
The Great White Spot of Saturn is comprised of many periodic
storms large enough to be seen from Earth through a telescope.
They are several kilometers wide and encircle the planet, occurring
once roughly every Saturnian year – every 30 Earth years. It is
predicted that the Great White Spot will occur again in 2020 during
the northern hemisphere summer solstice.

Thermography has shown that Saturn’s South Pole has a warm polar

vortex, the only known example of such a phenomenon in the Solar
System. Whereas temperatures on Saturn are normally −185 °C,
temperatures on the vortex often reach as high as −122 °C,
suspected to be the warmest spot on Saturn.

North Pole Vortex

A persisting hexagonal wave pattern around the north polar vortex

in the atmosphere at about 78°N was first noted in the Voyager
images. The sides of the hexagon are each about 13,800 km /
8,600 mi long, which is longer than the diameter of Earth.

The entire structure rotates with a period of 10 hours-39 minutes

– which is the same period as that of the planets eerie radio
emissions. This is also assumed to be equal to the period of rotation
of Saturn’s interior.

South Pole Vortex

The Hubble space telescope imaging of the South Polar Region

indicates the presence of a jet stream, however no strong polar
vortex nor any hexagonal standing wave.
Later the Cassini spacecraft observed a hurricane-like storm locked
to the South Pole that had a clearly defined eyewall. Eyewall clouds
had not been seen on any other planet except for Earth. It is
believed that the South Pole storm may have been present for
billions of years. This south vortex is comparable to the size of Earth
with winds blowing at speeds of 500/km – 310/mi – per hour.

Magnetosphere

Saturn has an intrinsic magnetic field that has a simple, symmetric

shape – a magnetic dipole. Its strength at the equator is about 0.2
gauss / 20 µT – approximately one-twentieth of that of the field
around Jupiter. It is slightly weaker than Earth’s magnetic field. 
It is believed that Saturn’s magnetic field is generated similarly to
that of Jupiter: by currents in the liquid metallic-hydrogen layer
called a metallic-hydrogen dynamo. Saturn’s moon Titan orbits
within the outer part of the magnetosphere and contributes plasma
from the ionized particles in Titan’s outer atmosphere. The
magnetosphere also produces aurorae.

Moons
Saturn is now the “king of the moons” in the Solar System, having a
total of 82 confirmed and diverse satellites that range from a couple
of meters to several hundred kilometers.
The orbits of these 82 moons have been confirmed as not being
embedded in its rings. Only 13 of these satellites have diameters
greater than 50 km/31 mi – as well as dense rings that contain
millions of embedded moonlets and innumerable smaller ring
particles. Only 7 of these moons are large enough to have collapsed
into a relaxed, ellipsoidal shape, though only one or two, Titan and
possibly Rhea, are currently in hydrostatic equilibrium. Momentarily,
not all the moons have been named.

Regular Satellites

Out of the 82 moons, only 24 are regular satellites. This means they
have prograde orbits not greatly inclined to Saturn’s equatorial
plane. They include the 7 major satellites, 4 small moons that exist
in a Trojan orbit with larger moons, 2 mutually co-orbital moons and
2 that act as Sheppard moons of Saturn’s F Ring.

Two other known regular satellites orbit within the gaps of Saturn’s
rings, while Hyperion is locked in resonance with Titan, the largest
moon of Saturn. The remaining regular moons orbit near the outer
edge of the A Ring, within G Ring, and between the major moons
Mimas and Enceladus. These regular satellites are usually named
after Titans or other figures associated with the mythological Saturn.

Irregular Satellites

Out of the 82 moons, the remaining 58 are irregular moons with

diameters ranging from 4 to 213 km – 2.4 to 132 mi. They have
orbits much farther from Saturn, high inclinations, and are mixed
between prograde and retrograde motions. It is believed that these
moons are actually captured minor planets, or debris from the
breakup of such bodies after they were captured, creating collisional
families.

These irregular satellites have been classified by their orbital

characteristics into the Inuit, Norse, and Gallic groups, and their
names are chosen from the corresponding mythologies. The largest
known irregular moon is Phoebe, the ninth moon of Saturn,
discovered at the end of the 19th century.
Major Moons

Saturn has seven major satellites with one of them being even
bigger than the planet Mercury.

Titan

Titan is the first discovered moon of Saturn. It was discovered in

1655 by astronomer Christiaan Huygens. It is the largest moon of
Saturn and the second-biggest moon in the Solar System.
It has a radius of about 1.600 mi / 2.575 km and a diameter of 3.199
mi / 5.149 km. It is bigger in size than the planet Mercury but only
40% as massive. Titan is 50% larger than Earth’s moon and 80%
more massive. It is almost as wide as the state of Canada.

Though it is second in size only to Jupiter’s moon Ganymede, Titan is

the only moon in the Solar System with clouds and a dense
atmosphere with clear evidence of stable bodies of surface liquid.
The moon is primarily composed of ice and rocky material, with a
rocky core in the center surrounded by various layers of ice, and a
subsurface layer of ammonia-rich liquid water. The atmosphere is
largely made up of nitrogen, methane, and ethane clouds with
nitrogen-rich organic smog. Climate features include wind and rain
that create features similar to those of Earth, such as dunes, rivers,
lakes, seas, and deltas.

It orbits Saturn once every 15 days and 22 hours and it is tidally

locked with its parent planet, only one side of its face is director
towards Saturn, permanently. The small, irregularly shaped
satellite Hyperion is locked in a 3:4 orbital resonance with Titan.

Analysis of Titan’s atmospheric nitrogen suggested that it has

possibly been sourced from a material similar to that found in
the Oort cloud and not from sources present during co-accretion of
materials around Saturn.

The surface temperature is about 94 K (−179.2 °C). At this

temperature, water ice has an extremely low vapor pressure, so the
little water vapor present appears limited to the stratosphere. Titan
receives about 1% as much sunlight as Earth. Atmospheric methane
creates a greenhouse effect on Titan’s surface, without which Titan
would be far colder.

Titan is the most distant body from Earth to have a space probe land
on its surface. The spacecraft Huygens landed on Titan in 2005.
Analysis since then points out that Titan may be a prebiotic
environment rich in complex organic compounds. It contains a
global ocean beneath its icy shell, and within this ocean, conditions
are potentially suitable for microbial life. These discoveries make
Titan a very closely studied object, with future missions already
being planned.

Hyperion

It is the first non-round moon to be discovered in the Solar System.

It was discovered in 1848 by William Bond, George Bond, and
William Lassell. Its irregular shape, chaotic rotation, and sponge-like
appearance make it a very unique object.
It is named after the Titan god of watchfulness and observation, the
elder brother of Cronus. Hyperion has a diameter of about 121.57
km/ 75.54 mi, making it one of the largest known bodies of highly
irregular shape in the Solar System. It is believed that this moon was
once part of a larger body that suffered a large impact in the past.

Like most of the other moons, it has a low density suggesting that it
is composed largely out of water ice and rock. The surface is
covered with deep, sharp-edged craters that give it an appearance
similar to that of a sponge. Dark material fills the bottom of each
crater. Its rotation is chaotic, wobbling so much that its orientation
in space is quite unpredictable. Together with Pluto’s moons Nix and
Hydra, they are among the few moons in the Solar System that
rotate chaotically. 
Enceladus

Enceladus is the sixth-largest moon of Saturn with a diameter of

around 500 km / 310 mi. It was discovered in 1789 by William
Herschel and named after the giant Enceladus of Greek mythology.

This moon is mostly covered by fresh, clean ice, making it one of the
most reflective bodies of the Solar System. The surface temperature
at noon reaches 198 °C (−324 °F), far colder than a light-absorbing
body would be. 

Over 100 geysers have been identified, together with water-rich

plumes, cryovolcanoes that shoot geyser-like jets of water vapor,
molecular hydrogen, other volatiles, and solid material into space.
Some of the water vapor falls back unto its surface creating fresh
snow, while the rest supplies most of the material that makes up
Saturn’s E Ring system.

It is the only moon of Saturn that is currently endogenously active

while at the same time, it is the smallest known body in the Solar
System that is geologically active today.

Enceladus releases gas and dust at a rate of more than 100 kg/s. It
may also have liquid water underneath its south-polar surface. The
energy source for Enceladus’s cryovolcanism is thought to be its 2:1
mean-motion resonance with Dione, the second-largest inner moon
of Saturn.
Recently, data revealed the presence of organic compounds in the
plumes of liquid water that shoot into space. These compounds
carry nitrogen and oxygen – elements that play a key role in
producing amino acids, the building blocks of proteins.

Tethys

Tethys is the third-largest inner moon of Saturn. It has the lowest

density out of all the moons suggesting it is primarily made out of
water, and a small fraction of rock. It was discovered in 1684 by
G.D. Cassini and named after a titan of Greek mythology.

It has a diameter of about 1.060 km / 660 mi and a low density of

0.98 g/cm3. A small amount of unidentified dark material is present
on the moon. It is the second-brightest moon of Saturn and it is
heavily cratered and cut by large faults/graben. A famous crater is
named Odysseus, having a diameter of 400 km / 248 mi. It is
believed that the moon formed alongside the other regular moons
from the Saturnian sub-nebula – a disk of gas and dust that
surrounded Saturn soon after its formation. It orbits Saturn at a
distance of almost 295.000 km / 183.304 mi.

Dione

Dione is the second-largest inner moon of Saturn. It has a higher

density than the geologically dead Rhea, the largest inner moon, but
lower than that of active Enceladus.
It was discovered in 1684 by G.D. Cassini and named after a titan of
Greek mythology. It orbits Saturn with a semimajor axis and it is
currently in a 1:2 mean-motion orbital resonance with
moon Enceladus, completing one orbit of Saturn for every two orbits
completed by Enceladus. 

This resonance maintains Enceladus’s orbital eccentricity (0.0047),

providing a source of heat for Enceladus’s extensive geological
activity, which shows up most dramatically in
its cryovolcanic geyser-like jets. Dione has a diameter of about
1.122 km / 697 mi, being the 15th largest moon in the Solar System
while its mass is greater than all the other small moons combined.

About two-thirds of Dione’s mass is water ice, and the remaining is a

dense core, probably silicate rock. Further information suggests that
it also has an internal liquid saltwater ocean similar to Enceladus.
While the majority of Dione’s surface is heavily cratered old terrain,
the moon is also covered with an extensive network of troughs and
lineaments, indicating that in the past it had global tectonic activity.
Dione may be geologically active even now, although on a scale
much smaller than the cryovolcanism of Enceladus.

Rhea

Named after the “mother of the gods” in Greek mythology, Rhea

was discovered in 1672 by G.D Cassini. It is the second-largest
moon of Saturn and the ninth-largest in the Solar System.
It has a density of about 1.236 g/cm3. This low density indicates that
it is made of ~25% rock (density ~3.25 g/cm3) and ~75% water ice
(density ~0.93 g/cm3). Although Rhea is the ninth-largest moon, it is
only the tenth-most-massive moon. Rhea’s features resemble those
of Dione, with dissimilar leading and trailing hemispheres,
suggesting similar composition and histories. The temperature on
Rhea is 99 K (−174 °C) in direct sunlight and between 73 K
(−200 °C) and 53 K (−220 °C) in the shade.

Rhea has a diameter of about 1.528 km / 949 mi and a tenuous

atmosphere – exosphere – that consists of oxygen and carbon
dioxide. It is possible that Rhea may have a tenuous ring system as
well, meaning it would be the first moon with rings ever discovered
but observations continue.

Iapetus

The third-largest moon of Saturn, Iapetus orbits its planet parent at

a distance of 3.5 million km / 2.1 million mi, by far the most distant
of Saturn’s large moons, and also it has the largest orbital
inclination, 15.47°.
Known for its unusual two-toned surface, it was discovered in 1671
by G.D. Cassini and named after a titan of Greek mythology. It is
tidally locked, always keeping the same face towards Saturn and
has a diameter of about 1.436 km / 892 mi. Due to its appearance, it
is nicknamed the yin-yang of the solar system.

It also has a low density, indicating that it is mostly comprised of ice

and rocky materials. It’s neither spherical nor ellipsoid but has a
bulging waistline and squashed poles. This unique equatorial ridge is
so high that it can be viewed from a distance.  The equatorial ridge
runs along the center of Cassini Regio, about 1,300 km (810 mi)
long, 20 km (12 mi) wide, and 13 km (8.1 mi) high.
It is not well understood neither how this ridge was created nor why
Iapetus has such a chaotic orbit, but generally, it is believed that
collisions are at fault. The two-tone coloration is often attributed to
Phoebe, a smaller moon that orbits Saturn. Phoebe is very dark and
emits streams of particles due to the Sun’s radiation and minor
collisions.

These particles accumulate on one side of Iapetus while the other

remains white due to differences in temperature.
Planetary Rings
The moons of Saturn also play a role in the planet’s ring system. The
ring system of Saturn is the largest and most complex in the entire
Solar System. They are made out of ice and rock remnants from
comets, asteroids, and moons.

These particles range in size from being as small as dust to as big as

houses, or even mountains. The ring system is divided into 7 groups
of rings: D Ring, C Ring, B Ring, A Ring, F Ring, G Ring, and E Ring.
Together, they are as wide as 4.5 Earths but only about two-thirds of
a mile thick. The rings can extend up to 282.000 km / 175.000 mi
from the planet. They stay intact and on track because of Saturn’s
smallest moons. These shepherding moons orbit between the rings
and use their gravity to shape the ring material into circular paths.

Life Habitability
Since it doesn’t have a true surface, but rather swirling fluids, it is
not conducive to life as we know it. The moons of Saturn however,
respectively Titan and Enceladus, have internal oceans that could
possibly hold life.

Future plans for Saturn

Much of Saturn has been discovered, and much still remains to be
discovered. Right now, since its moons, Titan and Enceladus, have
higher chances of either containing life or being somewhat more
hospitable than Saturn and the rest of its moons, most our attention
is directed towards them. The conditions on Titan could become far
more habitable in the far future, as such a mission named Dragonfly
will launch in 2026, consisting of a large drone powered by an RTG,
to fly in the atmosphere of Titan.
The purpose of this mission is to study how far prebiotic chemistry
may have progressed. It is possible that Enceladus may also be
subject to further observations.

Did you know?

 Saturn has the eeriest radio emissions in the Solar System. The
planet’s sounds can be found and listened to, on the internet.
 It is estimated that Saturn will lose its rings in about 100
million years. The rings are being pulled into Saturn by gravity
as a dusty rain of ice particles under the influence of Saturn’s
magnetic field. This event is often called Ring Rain.
 The closest distance of Saturn to Earth will happen in 2091, at
a distance of 8.03 AU.
 You could fit 764 Earths inside Saturn, and almost 1.600
Saturn’s could fit into the Sun.
 A theory suggests that Saturn and Jupiter came close to one
another and thus provoked the “Great Flood” on Earth.
 Controversially, recent studies of ancient cultures show that
the ancients might have mistakenly considered Saturn as the
Sun or at least, a Sun-like object. Some cultures considered that
Saturn was a star.
 The day Saturday was named after Saturn.
 The winds on Saturn are the second fastest among the Solar
System’s planets, after Neptune’s.
 The mean apparent magnitude of Saturn is 0.46 with a
standard deviation of 0.34. Most of the magnitude variation is
due to the inclination of the ring system relative to the Sun and
Earth. The brightest magnitude, −0.55, occurs near in time to
when the plane of the rings is inclined most highly, and the
faintest magnitude, 1.17, occurs around the time when they are
least inclined.
 Twice every Saturnian year – roughly every 15 Earth years –
the rings of Saturn briefly disappear from view, due to the way
in which they are angled and because they are thin. Such an
event will next occur in 2025, but Saturn will be too close to the
Sun for any ring-crossing observation to be possible.
  As Saturn is now the new king of the moons, with 20 new
moons being discovered, a contest is held online for the naming
of these moons. The contest ends on December 6, 2019 – so we
recommend you to search for this on the internet if you are
interested in providing a name.
 Saturn’s largest moon Titan comprises more than 96% of the
mass in orbit around the planet.
 Scientists surmise that the atmosphere of early Earth was
similar in composition to the current atmosphere on Titan, with
the important exception of a lack of water vapor on Titan.
 In ancient Greek, Saturn was known as Phainon while in Hindu
astrology, it was known as Shani, a deity that judges everyone
based on the good and bad deeds performed in life.
 Ancient Chinese and Japanese cultures designated Saturn as
the “earth star”.
 Almost two tons of Saturn’s mass came from Earth – The
Cassini spacecraft was intentionally vaporized in Saturn’s
atmosphere in 2017.
 Only four spacecraft’s have visited Saturn: NASA’S Pioneer 11
in 1979, NASA’S twin Voyager 1 & 2 in 1980 and 1981, and the
international Cassini spacecraft mission in 2004.
 The spacecraft Cassini studied Saturn for about 13 years.

Sources:

1. NASA
2. Wikipedia

Image source:

1. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Saturn_d
uring_Equinox.jpg
2. https://www.universetoday.com/24161/saturn-compared-to-
earth/
3. https://scitechdaily.com/chiron-may-possess-saturn-like-rings/
4. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2d/Saturn_
diagram.svg
5. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Saturn_
Storm.jpg
6. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Rotating
saturnhexagon.gif
7. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/Looking_
saturn_in_the_eye.jpg
8. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/Saturn
%27s_double_aurorae_
%28captured_by_the_Hubble_Space_Telescope%29.jpg
9. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/Saturn
%27s_Rings_PIA03550.jpg
10. https://carnegiescience.edu/NameSaturnsMoons
11. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/Moons_o
f_Saturn_2007.jpg
12. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Titan_in_
true_color.jpg
13. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/Titan
%2C_Earth_%26_Moon_size_comparison.jpg
14. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Vortex_o
n_saturn%27s_moon_titan.png
15. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/Hyperio
n_true.jpg
16. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/83/PIA1720
2_-_Approaching_Enceladus.jpg
17. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/PIA1906
1-SaturnMoonEnceladus-CurtainNotDiscrete-Eruptions-
20150506.jpg
18. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/PIA1831
7-SaturnMoon-Tethys-Cassini-20150411.jpg
19. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Dione_co
lor.jpg
20. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dione_PIA07748_-
Amastrus_grooves.jpg
21. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/PIA18438
-SaturnMoon-Rhea-20141104-fig2.jpg
22. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c9/Iapetus_
as_seen_by_the_Cassini_probe_-_20071008.jpg
 23. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/Iapetus_
equatorial_ridge.jpg
24. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Saturn_
Ring_Material.jpghttp://www.solstation.com/stars/sat1ring.gif

Picture of Planet Saturn

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