Solar System/Saturn

Natural color photograph of Saturn.

Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and is the second largest planet (after Jupiter), with a diameter of 120536 kilometers (9.4 times that of Earth). Saturn is known for its spectacular rings, which can be clearly seen with a home telescope of modest size. Saturn is one of the four gas giants. Even though Saturn is much more massive than Earth, if it had a solid surface and you stood on it you would weigh only 6% more than you do on Earth. This is because you would be standing much farther from the center of the planet than you do on Earth.

Orbit

Saturn orbits the Sun in 29.46 Earth-years, with an orbital eccentricity of 0.05 and an average distance from the Sun of 9.54 AU (Earth-Sun distances).

Rotation

Saturn rotates prograde (in the direction of its path around the Sun) once every 10 hours 14 minutes, with an axial tilt of 25.33°.

Physical characteristics

Saturn is the only planet that is less dense than water—in fact its density is just 0.69 that of water.

Internal structure

Diagram of Saturn.

Rings

The rings of Saturn.

Rings of Saturn.

Satellites

Titan

Titan is the second largest moon in the solar system and has a diameter over 5% greater than that of the planet Mercury. It is the only planetary moon that has a thick atmosphere made of nitrogen. Titan has lakes made of liquid methane.

By 7.8 billion years in the future, when Sun will become a red giant star, Titan will become habitable.

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  Titan in true color.

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  Haze from the atmosphere of Titan.

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  Image from the surface of Titan, taken by the probe Huygens.

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  Diagram of Titan.

Mimas

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  Mimas

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  Crater on Mimas

Enceladus

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  Enceladus

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  Close up

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  Terrain close up

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  Plumes of Enceladus

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  Orbit of Enceladus

Tethys

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  Tethys