Important facts of Saturn:
Saturn
location in the Solar System:
Saturn
is a gas giant Planet with an average radius of about nine times that of Earth. It only has one-eighth the average density of
Earth; however, with its larger volume, Saturn is over 95times bigger than
Earth. The average distance of the Saturn
from the Sun is about 1.434 billion kilometers 886 million miles)
This distance
is equivalent to 9.5 Astronomical Unit away from Sun.
Saturn distance from Earth is about
1.2 billion km (746 million miles).
Saturn
is named after the Roman god of wealth and agriculture, its astronomical symbol
(♄) represents the God's
Sickle. The Romans named the seventh day of the week Saturday, ("Saturn's
Day") no later than the 2nd century for the planet Saturn.
Saturn's interior is most likely composed of a core of iron–nickel and rock (silicon and oxygen compounds). Its core is surrounded by a deep layer of metallic hydrogen, an intermediate layer of liquid hydrogen and liquid helium, and finally a gaseous outer layer. Saturn has a pale yellow hue due to ammonia crystals in its upper atmosphere.
Solar System
Planetary
rings of Saturn
The planet's most famous feature is its prominent ring system, which is composed mostly of ice particles, with a smaller amount of rocky debris and dust.The rings extend from 6,630 to 120,700 kilometers (4,120 to 75,000 mi) outward from Saturn's equator and average approximately 20 meters (66 ft) in thickness. They are composed predominantly of water ice, and approximately 7% amorphous carbon. The particles that make up the rings range in size from specks of dust up to 10 m. While the other gas giants also have ring systems, Saturn's is the largest and most visible.
Saturn Diameter is 116,460 km.
Moons of Saturn
At
least 82 moons are known to orbit Saturn, of which 53 are officially named;
this does not include the hundreds of moonlets in its rings. Titan, Saturn's
largest moon and the second largest in the Solar System, is larger than the
planet Mercury, although less massive, and is the only moon in the Solar System
to have a substantial atmosphere.
Physical Features of Saturn:
|
Mean Radius |
58,232 km (36,184 mi) |
|
Equatorial Diameter |
116,460 km |
|
Circumference (on Equator) |
365882.4 km equatorial
(227348.8 mi) |
|
Total Surface Area |
4.27×1010 km² (1.65×1010
sq mi) 83.703 Earths |
|
Mass |
5.6834×10²⁶ kg
(95.159 Earths) |
|
Surface Gravity |
10.44 m/s² (34.3
ft/s^2) |
|
Escape Velocity |
35.5 km/s (22.1 mi/s) |
|
Rotation Time |
10h 42m |
|
Equatorial rotation
velocity |
9.87 km/s (6.13 mi/s (35,500
km/h) |
|
Orbital Period |
29.4571 Year (10,759.22 days) 24,491.07 Saturnian solar days |
|
Average Orbital speed |
9.68 km/s (6.01 mi/s) |
|
Angle of Inclination
at Equator |
2.485° to ecliptic, 5.51° to Sun's equator, 0.93° to invariable plane |
|
Axle Tilt |
27 degrees |
Five Important facts of Saturn
1. The average distance of the Saturn from
the Sun is about 1.434 billion kilometers 886 million miles)
2. Saturn rotates counter clockwise axis.
3. The Saturn takes 10h 42m to complete one
rotation.
The Saturn rotates counter clockwise on
its axis at a speed of 9.87 km/s (6.13 mi/s (35,500 km/h).
4. Saturn takes 29.4571 Year (10,759.22 days)
days to complete one revolution of the Sun.
The Saturn revolves around the Sun and
at a speed of 9.68 km/s (6.01 mi/s).
5. The Saturn's axis tilts to 27 degrees.
Physical characteristics
Saturn is a gas giant composed
predominantly of hydrogen and helium. It lacks a definite surface, though it
may have a solid core. Saturn's rotation causes it to have the shape of an
oblate spheroid. It is flattened at the
poles and bulges at its equator. Its equatorial and polar radii differ by
almost 10%: 60,268 km versus 54,364 km. The combination of the bulge and
rotation rate means that the effective surface gravity along the equator, 8.96
m/s2, is 74% of what it is at the poles and is lower than the surface gravity
of Earth. However, the equatorial escape velocity of nearly 36 km/s is much
higher than that of Earth. Saturn is the only planet of the Solar System that is
less dense than water—about 30% less.
Atmosphere of Saturn
The outer atmosphere of Saturn contains 96.3% molecular hydrogen and 3.25% helium by volume. The proportion of helium is significantly deficient compared to the abundance of this element in the Sun. The quantity of elements heavier than Helium is not known precisely, but the proportions are assumed to match the primordial abundances from the formation of the Solar System. The total mass of these heavier elements is estimated to be 19 to 31 times the mass of the Earth, with a significant fraction located in Saturn's core region.
Temperature on Saturn
Saturn is a pretty cool planet. The average temperature on Saturn is minus 288 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 178 degrees Celsius).
Life
No evidence for life has been
found on Saturn.
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