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Friday, May 25, 2012
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Eco-Glossary

Saturn

 
Saturn, like Jupiter, is a member of the gas giant family in our solar system. Like the other gas giants, Saturn is encircled by a series of rings, but Saturn’s rings are by far the most complex and readily visible. This ring system, mostly made up of water ice and other elements and compounds, extends for hundreds of thousands of kilometers from the planet, kept in place by its power magnetic field, roughly 578 times as powerful as Earth’s.
 
Saturn takes about 29 and a half years to complete one orbit around the Sun, but the length of a day on Saturn corresponds with Jupiter’s, taking about 10 hours to finish one rotation. Also like Jupiter, Saturn is comprised of mostly helium and hydrogen, with super-fast winds blowing through the atmosphere that creates on-going storms. These storms, with the heat from the planet’s interior, create the gold and yellow bands that are visible.
 
Saturn has been a site of considerable study for spacecraft, in particularly the Cassini spacecraft. Reaching Saturn, and entering its orbit, in 2004, the mission was set to end in 2008, and then again in 2010, but has been extended to 2017. The spacecraft continues to send high-definition photos of the ringed planet and its moon.
 
(Text by Noel Kirkpatrick)
(Photo: NASA)

Articles about Saturn


What's punching holes in Saturn's F ring?

Wed, Apr 25 2012 at 12:14 PM EST
Two of Saturn's moons may be creating the snowballs that perturb Saturn's rings.
 

Saturn's rings put on a show in new NASA photo

Tue, Mar 06 2012 at 7:32 AM EST
Saturn's rings cast shadows on the gas giant.
 

Saturn's icy moon boasts oxygen atmosphere -- but not one we could breathe

Mon, Mar 05 2012 at 7:15 AM EST
The presence of oxygen on Dione shows that oxygen can exist even through 'a process that doesn't involve life.'
 

Saturn, Uranus and moon put on a show

Fri, Feb 10 2012 at 11:25 AM EST
The sky-based approaches between the objects in our solar systems are called conjunctions or appulses.
 

Saturn's pockmarked moon discovered in new photos

Wed, Aug 31 2011 at 10:30 AM EST
Scientists will use the photos to help determine how the moon's brightness changes during its unpredictable orbit.
 

Other planets have hurricane-like storms, too

Mon, Aug 29 2011 at 9:42 AM EST
Storms on other planets don't have the warm, swirling water to form hurricanes in the strictest sense, but these extraterrestrial storms have intend wind and lightning like Earth's hurricanes.
 

Saturn moon's bizarre giant cloud explained

Tue, Aug 16 2011 at 4:48 PM EST
Insights into Titan's weather could help scientists better understand the weather here on Earth.
 

Saturn water coming from icy moon rain

Wed, Jul 27 2011 at 11:08 AM EST
Despite its irregular orbit, the moon Enceladus is constantly raining water around Saturn, creating a water vapor ring around the already ringed planet.
 

Some alien planets may be like Saturn's moon Titan

Tue, Apr 19 2011 at 12:29 PM EST
Titan's liquid methane surface has scientists wondering if it couldn't support alien life, much like water supports life on Earth.
 

8 fantastic images of Saturn

Fri, Dec 17 2010 at 12:06 PM EST
 
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