Saturn

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SaturnisthesixthplanetfromtheSunandthesecondlargestintheSolarSystem,after
Jupiter.ItisagasgiantwithanaverageradiusaboutninetimesthatofEarth.[10][11]
AlthoughonlyoneeighththeaveragedensityofEarth,withitslargervolumeSaturnisjust
over95timesmoremassive.[12][13][14]SaturnisnamedaftertheRomangodofagriculture
itsastronomicalsymbol()representsthegod'ssickle.
Saturn'sinteriorisprobablycomposedofacoreofironnickelandrock(siliconand
oxygencompounds).Thiscoreissurroundedbyadeeplayerofmetallichydrogen,an
intermediatelayerofliquidhydrogenandliquidhelium,andfinallyoutsidetheFrenkelline
agaseousouterlayer.[15]Saturnhasapaleyellowhueduetoammoniacrystalsinitsupper
atmosphere.Electricalcurrentwithinthemetallichydrogenlayeristhoughttogiveriseto
Saturn'splanetarymagneticfield,whichisweakerthanEarth's,buthasamagneticmoment
580timesthatofEarthduetoSaturn'slargersize.Saturn'smagneticfieldstrengthisaround
onetwentiethofJupiter's.[16]Theouteratmosphereisgenerallyblandandlackingin
contrast,althoughlonglivedfeaturescanappear.WindspeedsonSaturncanreach
1,800km/h(500m/s),higherthanonJupiter,butnotashighasthoseonNeptune.[17]
Saturnhasaprominentringsystemthatconsistsofninecontinuousmainringsandthree
discontinuousarcsandthatiscomposedmostlyoficeparticleswithasmalleramountof
rockydebrisanddust.Sixtytwo[18]moonsareknowntoorbitSaturn,ofwhichfiftythree
areofficiallynamed.Thisdoesnotincludethehundredsofmoonletscomprisingtherings.
Titan,Saturn'slargestmoon,andthesecondlargestintheSolarSystem,islargerthanthe
planetMercury,althoughlessmassive,andistheonlymoonintheSolarSystemtohavea
substantialatmosphere.[19]

Saturn

Saturninnaturalcolor,photographedby
CassiniinJuly2008,approachingequinox.
Designations
Pronunciation
Adjectives

/strn/[1]

Saturnian,Cronian
Orbitalcharacteristics[2]
EpochJ2000.0

Aphelion

10.086AU
(1,509Gm)

Perihelion

9.024AU
(1,350Gm)

Semimajoraxis 9.554 909AU

(1,429.39Gm)[2]

Contents

Eccentricity

0.055 55

1 Physicalcharacteristics

Orbitalperiod

1.1 Internalstructure
2 Atmosphere

29.4571yr
10,759.22d
24,491.07Saturniansolar
days[3]

Synodicperiod 378.09days[4]

2.1 Cloudlayers

Averageorbital 9.69km/s[4]
speed

2.2 Northpolehexagonalcloudpattern

Meananomaly 317.020

2.3 Southpolevortex

Inclination

2.4 Otherfeatures

2.485 240toecliptic
5.51toSun'sequator
0.93toinvariableplane[5]

3 Magnetosphere

Longitudeof
113.665
ascendingnode

4 Orbitandrotation

Argumentof
perihelion

5 Planetaryrings

Knownsatellites 62withformaldesignations
innumerableadditional

6 Naturalsatellites

moonlets. [4]

7 Historyofobservationandexploration
7.1 Ancientobservations

339.392

Physicalcharacteristics
Meanradius

58,232 6km[6][a]

7.2 Europeanobservations(17th19thcenturies)

Equatorial
radius

60,268 4km[6][a]
9.4492Earths

7.3 ModernNASAandESAprobes

Polarradius

54,364 10km[6][a]
8.5521Earths

8 Observation
9 Inculture

Flattening
Surfacearea

4.27 1010km2[a][7]
83.703Earths

Volume

8.2713 1014km3[4][a]

10 Seealso
11 Notes

0.097 96 0.000 18

12 References

763.59Earths
Mass

13 Furtherreading
14 Externallinks

Meandensity

Surfacegravity

Physicalcharacteristics
Saturnisagasgiantbecauseitispredominantly
composedofhydrogenandhelium('gas').Itlacksa
definitesurface,thoughitmayhaveasolidcore.[20]
Saturn'srotationcausesittohavetheshapeofan
oblatespheroidthatis,itisflattenedatthepoles
andbulgesatitsequator.Itsequatorialandpolar
radiidifferbyalmost10%:60,268kmversus
54,364km,respectively.[4]Jupiter,Uranus,and
Neptune,theothergiantplanetsintheSolarSystem,
arealsooblatebuttoalesserextent.Saturnisthe
onlyplanetoftheSolarSystemthatislessdense
Compositeimageroughlycomparing
thanwaterabout30%less.[21]AlthoughSaturn's
thesizesofSaturnandEarth
coreisconsiderablydenserthanwater,theaverage
specificdensityoftheplanetis0.69g/cm3dueto
theatmosphere.Jupiterhas318timestheEarth'smass,[22]whileSaturnis95timesthe
massoftheEarth,[4]Together,JupiterandSaturnhold92%ofthetotalplanetarymassin
theSolarSystem.[23]
On8January2015,NASAreporteddeterminingthecenteroftheplanetSaturnandits
familyofmoonstowithin4km(2.5mi).[24]

Internalstructure

5.6836 1026kg[4]
95.159Earths
0.687g/cm3[4][a]
(lessthanwater)
10.44m/s[4][a]
1.065g

Escapevelocity 35.5km/s[4][a]
Sidereal
10.55hours[8]
rotationperiod
(10hr33min)
Equatorial
rotationvelocity
Axialtilt
Northpole
rightascension
Northpole
declination
Albedo

9.87km/s[a]
35,500km/h
26.73(toorbit)[4]
2h42m21s
40.589[6]
83.537[6]
0.342(Bond)
0.47(geometric)[4]

Surfacetemp.
1barlevel

min mean
134K(139C)[4]

0.1bar

84K[4]

Apparent
magnitude

+1.47to0.24[9]

Angular
diameter

14.5to20.1[4]
(excludesrings)
Atmosphere[4]

Scaleheight

max

Despiteconsistingmostlyofhydrogenandhelium,mostofSaturn'smassisnotinthegas
phase,becausehydrogenbecomesanonidealliquidwhenthedensityisabove0.01g/cm3,
whichisreachedataradiuscontaining99.9%ofSaturn'smass.Thetemperature,pressure,
anddensityinsideSaturnallrisesteadilytowardthecore,which,inthedeeperlayers,cause
hydrogentotransitionintoametal.[23]
StandardplanetarymodelssuggestthattheinteriorofSaturnissimilartothatofJupiter,
havingasmallrockycoresurroundedbyhydrogenandheliumwithtraceamountsof
variousvolatiles.[25]ThiscoreissimilarincompositiontotheEarth,butmoredense.
ExaminationofSaturn'sgravitationalmoment,incombinationwithphysicalmodelsofthe
interior,allowedFrenchastronomersDidierSaumonandTristanGuillottoplace
constraintsonthemassofSaturn'score.In2004,theyestimatedthatthecoremustbe9
22timesthemassoftheEarth,[26][27]whichcorrespondstoadiameterofabout
25,000km.[28]Thisissurroundedbyathickerliquidmetallichydrogenlayer,followedbya
liquidlayerofheliumsaturatedmolecularhydrogenthatgraduallytransitionstoagaswith
increasingaltitude.Theoutermostlayerspans1,000kmandconsistsofgas.[29][30][31]

59.5km
Compositionby
byvolume:
volume
96%

hydrogen(H2)

3%

helium(He)

0.4%

methane(CH4)

0.01% ammonia(NH3)
0.01% hydrogendeuteride
(HD)
0.0007% ethane(C2H6)
Ices:
ammonia(NH3)
water(H2O)

Saturnhasahotinterior,reaching11,700Catitscore,anditradiates2.5timesmore
ammoniumhydrosulfide
energyintospacethanitreceivesfromtheSun.Jupiter'sthermalenergyisgeneratedbythe
(NH4SH)
KelvinHelmholtzmechanismofslowgravitationalcompression,butthisalonemaynotbe
sufficienttoexplainheatproductionforSaturn,becauseitislessmassive.Analternativeor
additionalmechanismmaybegenerationofheatthroughthe"rainingout"ofdropletsof
heliumdeepinSaturn'sinterior.Asthedropletsdescendthroughthelowerdensityhydrogen,theprocessreleasesheatbyfrictionandleaves
Saturn'souterlayersdepletedofhelium.[32][33]Thesedescendingdropletsmayhaveaccumulatedintoaheliumshellsurroundingthecore.[25]
DiagramofSaturn

Atmosphere
TheouteratmosphereofSaturncontains96.3%molecularhydrogenand3.25%heliumbyvolume.[34]Theproportion
ofheliumissignificantlydeficientcomparedtotheabundanceofthiselementintheSun.[25]Thequantityofelements
heavierthanheliumisnotknownprecisely,buttheproportionsareassumedtomatchtheprimordialabundancesfrom
theformationoftheSolarSystem.Thetotalmassoftheseheavierelementsisestimatedtobe1931timesthemassof
theEarth,withasignificantfractionlocatedinSaturn'scoreregion.[35]
Traceamountsofammonia,acetylene,ethane,propane,phosphineandmethanehavebeendetectedinSaturn's
atmosphere.[36][37][38]Theuppercloudsarecomposedofammoniacrystals,whilethelowerlevelcloudsappearto
consistofeitherammoniumhydrosulfide(NH4SH)orwater.[39]UltravioletradiationfromtheSuncausesmethane

Methanebandscircle
Saturn(rel1
February2016)

photolysisintheupperatmosphere,leadingtoaseriesofhydrocarbonchemicalreactionswiththeresultingproductsbeingcarrieddownward
byeddiesanddiffusion.ThisphotochemicalcycleismodulatedbySaturn'sannualseasonalcycle.[38]

Cloudlayers
Saturn'satmosphereexhibitsabandedpatternsimilartoJupiter's,butSaturn'sbandsaremuchfainter
andaremuchwiderneartheequator.Thenomenclatureusedtodescribethesebandsisthesameason
Jupiter.Saturn'sfinercloudpatternswerenotobserveduntiltheflybysoftheVoyagerspacecraft
duringthe1980s.Sincethen,Earthbasedtelescopyhasimprovedtothepointwhereregular
observationscanbemade.[40]

Aglobalstormgirdlestheplanetin
2011.Theheadofthestorm(bright
area)passesthetailcirclingaround
theleftlimb.

Thecompositionofthecloudsvarieswithdepthandincreasingpressure.Intheuppercloudlayers,
withthetemperatureintherange100160Kandpressuresextendingbetween0.52bar,theclouds
consistofammoniaice.Watericecloudsbeginatalevelwherethepressureisabout2.5barandextend
downto9.5bar,wheretemperaturesrangefrom185270K.Intermixedinthislayerisabandof
ammoniumhydrosulfideice,lyinginthepressurerange36barwithtemperaturesof290235K.
Finally,thelowerlayers,wherepressuresarebetween1020barandtemperaturesare270330K,
containsaregionofwaterdropletswithammoniainaqueoussolution.[41]

Saturn'susuallyblandatmosphereoccasionallyexhibitslonglivedovalsandotherfeaturescommonon
Jupiter.In1990,theHubbleSpaceTelescopeimagedanenormouswhitecloudnearSaturn'sequator
thatwasnotpresentduringtheVoyagerencountersandin1994,another,smallerstormwasobserved.
The1990stormwasanexampleofaGreatWhiteSpot,auniquebutshortlivedphenomenonthat
occursonceeverySaturnianyear,roughlyevery30Earthyears,aroundthetimeofthenorthernhemisphere'ssummersolstice.[42]Previous
GreatWhiteSpotswereobservedin1876,1903,1933and1960,withthe1933stormbeingthemostfamous.Iftheperiodicityismaintained,
anotherstormwilloccurinabout2020.[43]
ThewindsonSaturnarethesecondfastestamongtheSolarSystem'splanets,afterNeptune's.Voyagerdataindicatepeakeasterlywindsof
500m/s(1800km/h).[44]InimagesfromtheCassinispacecraftduring2007,Saturn'snorthernhemispheredisplayedabrightbluehue,similar
toUranus.ThecolorwasmostlikelycausedbyRayleighscattering.[45]ThermographyhasshownthatSaturn'ssouthpolehasawarmpolar
vortex,theonlyknownexampleofsuchaphenomenonintheSolarSystem.[46]WhereastemperaturesonSaturnarenormally185C,
temperaturesonthevortexoftenreachashighas122C,suspectedtobethewarmestspotonSaturn.[46]

Northpolehexagonalcloudpattern

Apersistinghexagonalwavepatternaroundthenorthpolarvortexintheatmosphereatabout78Nwasfirstnotedin
theVoyagerimages.[47][48][49]Thesidesofthehexagonareeachabout13,800km(8,600mi)long,whichislonger
thanthediameteroftheEarth.[50]Theentirestructurerotateswithaperiodof10h39m24s(thesameperiodasthatof
theplanet'sradioemissions)whichisassumedtobeequaltotheperiodofrotationofSaturn'sinterior.[51]The
hexagonalfeaturedoesnotshiftinlongitudeliketheothercloudsinthevisibleatmosphere.[52]Thepattern'soriginis
amatterofmuchspeculation.Mostscientiststhinkitisastandingwavepatternintheatmosphere.Polygonalshapes
havebeenreplicatedinthelaboratorythroughdifferentialrotationoffluids.[53][54]

Southpolevortex

SaturnNorthpolar
hexagonandvortex
aswellasrings(2
April2014)

HSTimagingofthesouthpolarregionindicatesthepresenceofajetstream,butnostrongpolarvortexnorany
hexagonalstandingwave.[55]NASAreportedinNovember2006thatCassinihadobserveda"hurricanelike"storm
lockedtothesouthpolethathadaclearlydefinedeyewall.[56][57]Eyewallcloudshadnotpreviouslybeenseenonany
planetotherthanEarth.Forexample,imagesfromtheGalileospacecraftdidnotshowaneyewallintheGreatRed
SpotofJupiter.[58]
Thesouthpolestormmayhavebeenpresentforbillionsofyears.[59]ThisvortexiscomparabletothesizeofEarth,
andithaswindsof550km/h.[59]

Otherfeatures

Saturn'ssouthpole
storm

Cassinihasobservedaseriesofcloudfeaturesnicknamed"StringofPearls"foundinnorthernlatitudes.Thesefeaturesarecloudclearingsthat
resideindeepercloudlayers.[60]

Magnetosphere
Saturnhasanintrinsicmagneticfieldthathasasimple,symmetricshapeamagneticdipole.Itsstrengthattheequator0.2gauss(20T)
isapproximatelyonetwentiethofthatofthefieldaroundJupiterandslightlyweakerthanEarth'smagneticfield.[16]Asaresult,Saturn's
magnetosphereismuchsmallerthanJupiter's.[62]WhenVoyager2enteredthemagnetosphere,thesolarwindpressurewashighandthe
magnetosphereextendedonly19Saturnradii,or1.1millionkm(712,000mi),[63]althoughitenlargedwithinseveralhours,andremainedso
foraboutthreedays.[64]Mostprobably,themagneticfieldisgeneratedsimilarlytothatofJupiterbycurrentsintheliquidmetallichydrogen
layercalledametallichydrogendynamo.[62]ThismagnetosphereisefficientatdeflectingthesolarwindparticlesfromtheSun.Themoon

TitanorbitswithintheouterpartofSaturn'smagnetosphereandcontributesplasmafromthe
ionizedparticlesinTitan'souteratmosphere.[16]Saturn'smagnetosphere,likeEarth's,
producesaurorae.[65]

Orbitandrotation
Polarauroraeon
Saturn

TheaveragedistancebetweenSaturnandtheSunisover1.4billionkilometres(9AU).With
anaverageorbitalspeedof9.69km/s,[4]ittakesSaturn10,759Earthdays(orabout
2912years),[66]tofinishonerevolutionaroundtheSun.[4]TheellipticalorbitofSaturnis

Aurorallightsat
Saturnsnorth
pole. [61]

inclined2.48relativetotheorbitalplaneoftheEarth.[4]Theperihelionandapheliondistancesare,respectively,9.022and10.053AU,on
average.[67]ThevisiblefeaturesonSaturnrotateatdifferentratesdependingonlatitudeandmultiplerotationperiodshavebeenassignedto
variousregions(asinJupiter'scase).
AstronomersusethreedifferentsystemsforspecifyingtherotationrateofSaturn.SystemIhasaperiodof10hr14min00sec(844.3/d)and
encompassestheEquatorialZone,theSouthEquatorialBeltandtheNorthEquatorialBelt.Thepolarregionsareconsideredtohaverotation
ratessimilartoSystemI.AllotherSaturnianlatitudes,excludingthenorthandsouthpolarregions,areindicatedasSystemIIandhavebeen
assignedarotationperiodof10hr38min25.4sec(810.76/d).SystemIIIreferstoSaturn'sinternalrotationrate.Basedonradioemissions
fromtheplanetintheperiodoftheVoyagerflybys,ithasbeenassignedarotationperiodof10hr39min22.4sec(810.8/d).Becauseitis
closetoSystemII,ithaslargelysupersededit.[68]
Aprecisevaluefortherotationperiodoftheinteriorremainselusive.WhileapproachingSaturnin2004,Cassinifoundthattheradiorotation
periodofSaturnhadincreasedappreciably,toapproximately10hr45min45sec(36sec).[69][70]ThelatestestimateofSaturn'srotation(as
anindicatedrotationrateforSaturnasawhole)basedonacompilationofvariousmeasurementsfromtheCassini,VoyagerandPioneer
probeswasreportedinSeptember2007is10hr32min35sec.[71]
InMarch2007,itwasfoundthatthevariationofradioemissionsfromtheplanetdidnotmatchSaturn'srotationrate.Thisvariancemaybe
causedbygeyseractivityonSaturn'smoonEnceladus.ThewatervaporemittedintoSaturn'sorbitbythisactivitybecomeschargedand
createsadraguponSaturn'smagneticfield,slowingitsrotationslightlyrelativetotherotationoftheplanet.[72][73][74]

Planetaryrings

Saturnisprobablybestknownforthesystemofplanetaryringsthatmakesitvisuallyunique.[30]The
ringsextendfrom6,630kmto120,700kmoutwardfromSaturn'sequator,averageapproximately
20metersinthicknessandarecomposedof93%watericewithtracesoftholinimpuritiesand7%
amorphouscarbon.[75]Theparticlesthatmakeuptheringsrangeinsizefromspecksofdustupto
10m.[76]Whiletheothergasgiantsalsohaveringsystems,Saturn'sisthelargestandmostvisible.
Therearetwomainhypothesesregardingtheoriginoftherings.Onehypothesisisthattheringsare
remnantsofadestroyedmoonofSaturn.Thesecondhypothesisisthattheringsareleftoverfromthe
originalnebularmaterialfromwhichSaturnformed.SomeiceintheEringcomesfromthemoon
Enceladus'sgeysers.[77][78][79]
Inthepast,astronomersoncethoughttheringsformedalongsidetheplanetwhenitformedbillionsof
yearsago.[80]Instead,theageoftheseplanetaryringsisprobablysomehundredsofmillionsof
years.[81]

TheringsofSaturn(imagedhereby
Cassiniin2007)arethemostmassive
andconspicuousintheSolar
System. [30]

Beyondthemainringsatadistanceof12millionkmfromtheplanetisthesparsePhoebering,which
istiltedatanangleof27totheotherringsand,likePhoebe,orbitsinretrogradefashion.[82]
SomeofthemoonsofSaturn,includingPandoraandPrometheus,actasshepherdmoonstoconfinethe
ringsandpreventthemfromspreadingout.[83]PanandAtlascauseweak,lineardensitywavesin
Saturn'sringsthathaveyieldedmorereliablecalculationsoftheirmasses.[84]

Naturalsatellites

FalsecolorUVimageofSaturn's
outerBandAringsdirtierringletsin
theCassiniDivisionandEnckeGap
showupred.

Saturnhas62knownmoons,53ofwhichhaveformalnames.[85][86]Inaddition,thereisevidenceof
dozenstohundredsofmoonletswithdiametersof40500metersinSaturn'srings,[87]whicharenotconsideredtobetruemoons.Titan,the
largestmoon,comprisesmorethan90%ofthemassinorbitaroundSaturn,includingtherings.[88]Saturn'ssecondlargestmoon,Rhea,may
haveatenuousringsystemofitsown,[89]alongwithatenuousatmosphere.[90][91][92][93]
Manyoftheothermoonsaresmall:34arelessthan10kmindiameterandanother14between10and50kmindiameter.[94]Traditionally,
mostofSaturn'smoonshavebeennamedafterTitansofGreekmythology.TitanistheonlysatelliteintheSolarSystemwithamajor
atmosphere,[95][96]inwhichacomplexorganicchemistryoccurs.Itistheonlysatellitewithhydrocarbonlakes.[97][98]

On6June2013,scientistsattheIAACSICreportedthe
detectionofpolycyclicaromatichydrocarbonsintheupper
atmosphereofTitan,apossibleprecursorforlife.[99]On23
June2014,NASAclaimedtohavestrongevidencethatnitrogen
intheatmosphereofTitancamefrommaterialsintheOort
cloud,associatedwithcomets,andnotfromthematerialsthat
formedSaturninearliertimes.[100]

Possiblebeginningofanewmoonof
Saturn(imagetakenbyCassinion15
April2013).

Saturn'smoonEnceladus,whichseemssimilarinchemical
makeuptocomets,[101]hasoftenbeenregardedasapotential
habitatformicrobiallife.[102][103][104][105]Evidenceofthis
possibilityincludesthesatellite'ssaltrichparticleshavingan
"oceanlike"compositionthatindicatesmostofEnceladus's
expelledicecomesfromtheevaporationofliquidsalt
water.[106][107][108]

InApril2014,NASAscientistsreportedthepossiblebeginningofanewmoon,withintheARing,of
theplanetSaturn,whichwasimagedbyCassinion15April2013.[109]

AmontageofSaturnanditsprincipal
moons(Dione,Tethys,Mimas,
Enceladus,RheaandTitanIapetus
notshown).Thisfamousimagewas
createdfromphotographstakenin
November1980bytheVoyager1
spacecraft.

Historyofobservationandexploration
TherehavebeenthreemainphasesintheobservationandexplorationofSaturn.Thefirsterawasancientobservations(suchaswiththenaked
eye),beforetheinventionofthemoderntelescopes.Startinginthe17thcenturyprogressivelymoreadvancedtelescopicobservationsfrom
Earthhavebeenmade.Theothertypeisvisitationbyspacecraft,eitherbyorbitingorflyby.Inthe21stcenturyobservationscontinuefromthe
Earth(orEarthorbitingobservatories)andfromtheCassiniorbiteratSaturn.

Ancientobservations
Saturnhasbeenknownsinceprehistorictimes.[110]Inancienttimes,itwasthemostdistantofthefiveknownplanetsintheSolarSystem
(excludingEarth)andthusamajorcharacterinvariousmythologies.Babylonianastronomerssystematicallyobservedandrecordedthe
movementsofSaturn.[111]InancientRomanmythology,thegodSaturnus,fromwhichtheplanettakesitsname,wasthegodof
agriculture.[112]TheRomansconsideredSaturnustheequivalentoftheGreekgodCronus.[112]TheGreekshadmadetheoutermostplanet
sacredtoCronus,[113]andtheRomansfollowedsuit.(InmodernGreek,theplanetretainsitsancientnameCronus:Kronos.)[114]

TheGreekscientistPtolemybasedhiscalculationsofSaturn'sorbitonobservationshemadewhileitwasinopposition.[115]InHindu
astrology,therearenineastrologicalobjects,knownasNavagrahas.Saturn,oneofthemisknownas"Shani"andjudgeseveryonebasedonthe
goodandbaddeedsperformedinlife.[112][115]AncientChineseandJapaneseculturedesignatedtheplanetSaturnasthe"earthstar"().
ThiswasbasedonFiveElementswhichweretraditionallyusedtoclassifynaturalelements.[116][117][118]
InancientHebrew,Saturniscalled'Shabbathai'.[119]ItsangelisCassiel.ItsintelligenceorbeneficialspiritisAgiel(layga)anditsspirit
(darkeraspect)isZazel(lzaz).InOttomanTurkish,UrduandMalay,itsnameis'Zuhal',derivedfromArabic.

Europeanobservations(17th19thcenturies)
Saturn'sringsrequireatleasta15mmdiametertelescope[120]toresolveandthuswerenotknownto
existuntilGalileofirstsawthemin1610.[121][122]HethoughtofthemastwomoonsonSaturn's
sides.[123][124]ItwasnotuntilChristiaanHuygensusedgreatertelescopicmagnificationthatthisnotion
wasrefuted.HuygensdiscoveredSaturn'smoonTitanGiovanniDomenicoCassinilaterdiscovered
fourothermoons:Iapetus,Rhea,TethysandDione.In1675,Cassinidiscoveredthegapnowknownas
theCassiniDivision.[125]
Nofurtherdiscoveriesofsignificanceweremadeuntil1789whenWilliamHerscheldiscoveredtwo
furthermoons,MimasandEnceladus.TheirregularlyshapedsatelliteHyperion,whichhasaresonance
withTitan,wasdiscoveredin1848byaBritishteam.[126]

RobertHookenotedtheshadows(a
andb)castbyboththeglobeandthe
ringsoneachotherinthisdrawingof
Saturnin1666.

In1899WilliamHenryPickeringdiscoveredPhoebe,ahighlyirregularsatellitethatdoesnotrotate
synchronouslywithSaturnasthelargermoonsdo.[126]Phoebewasthefirstsuchsatellitefoundandit
takesmorethanayeartoorbitSaturninaretrogradeorbit.Duringtheearly20thcentury,researchonTitanledtotheconfirmationin1944
thatithadathickatmosphereafeatureuniqueamongtheSolarSystem'smoons.[127]

ModernNASAandESAprobes
Pioneer11flyby
Pioneer11carriedoutthefirstflybyofSaturninSeptember1979,whenitpassedwithin20,000kmoftheplanet'scloudtops.Imageswere
takenoftheplanetandafewofitsmoons,althoughtheirresolutionwastoolowtodiscernsurfacedetail.ThespacecraftalsostudiedSaturn's
rings,revealingthethinFringandthefactthatdarkgapsintheringsarebrightwhenviewedathighphaseangle(towardstheSun),meaning

thattheycontainfinelightscatteringmaterial.Inaddition,Pioneer11measuredthetemperatureof
Titan.[128]
Voyagerflybys
InNovember1980,theVoyager1probevisitedtheSaturnsystem.Itsentbackthefirsthighresolution
imagesoftheplanet,itsringsandsatellites.Surfacefeaturesofvariousmoonswereseenforthefirst
time.Voyager1performedacloseflybyofTitan,increasingknowledgeoftheatmosphereofthe
moon.ItprovedthatTitan'satmosphereisimpenetrableinvisiblewavelengths,thereforenosurface
detailswereseen.Theflybychangedthespacecraft'strajectoryoutfromtheplaneoftheSolar
System.[129]

Pioneer11imageofSaturn

Almostayearlater,inAugust1981,Voyager2continuedthestudyoftheSaturnsystem.MorecloseupimagesofSaturn'smoonswere
acquired,aswellasevidenceofchangesintheatmosphereandtherings.Unfortunately,duringtheflyby,theprobe'sturnablecameraplatform
stuckforacoupleofdaysandsomeplannedimagingwaslost.Saturn'sgravitywasusedtodirectthespacecraft'strajectorytowards
Uranus.[129]
Theprobesdiscoveredandconfirmedseveralnewsatellitesorbitingnearorwithintheplanet'srings,aswellasthesmallMaxwellGap(agap
withintheCRing)andKeelergap(a42kmwidegapintheARing).
CassiniHuygensspacecraft
On1July2004,theCassiniHuygensspaceprobeperformedtheSOI(SaturnOrbitInsertion)maneuverandenteredorbitaroundSaturn.
BeforetheSOI,Cassinihadalreadystudiedthesystemextensively.InJune2004,ithadconductedacloseflybyofPhoebe,sendingbackhigh
resolutionimagesanddata.
Cassini'sflybyofSaturn'slargestmoon,Titan,hascapturedradarimagesoflargelakesandtheircoastlineswithnumerousislandsand
mountains.TheorbitercompletedtwoTitanflybysbeforereleasingtheHuygensprobeon25December2004.Huygensdescendedontothe
surfaceofTitanon14January2005,sendingafloodofdataduringtheatmosphericdescentandafterthelanding.[130]Cassinihassince
conductedmultipleflybysofTitanandothericysatellites.
Sinceearly2005,scientistshavebeentrackinglightningonSaturn.Thepowerofthelightningisapproximately1,000timesthatoflightning
onEarth.[131]

In2006,NASAreportedthatCassinihadfoundevidenceof
liquidwaterreservoirsthateruptingeysersonSaturn'smoon
Enceladus.Imageshadshownjetsoficyparticlesbeingemitted
intoorbitaroundSaturnfromventsinthemoon'ssouthpolar
region.AccordingtoAndrewIngersoll,CaliforniaInstituteof
Technology,"OthermoonsintheSolarSystemhaveliquid
wateroceanscoveredbykilometersoficycrust.What's
differenthereisthatpocketsofliquidwatermaybenomore
thantensofmetersbelowthesurface."[132]Over100geysers
Cassini'sTitanflybyradiosignal
havebeenidentifiedonEnceladus.[133]InMay2011,NASA
studies(artist'sconcept)
scientistsatanEnceladusFocusGroupConferencereportedthat
Enceladus"isemergingasthemosthabitablespotbeyondEarth
intheSolarSystemforlifeasweknowit".[134][135]

PhotographofEarthandtheMoon
byCassini,visibleinthebottom
right.

Cassiniphotographshaveledtoothersignificantdiscoveries.Theyhaverevealedapreviously
undiscoveredplanetaryring,outsidethebrightermainringsofSaturnandinsidetheGandErings.The
sourceofthisringishypothesizedtobethecrashingofameteoroidoffJanusandEpimetheus.[136]In
July2006,CassiniimagesprovidedevidenceofhydrocarbonlakesnearTitan'snorthpole,thepresence
ofwhichwereconfirmedinJanuary2007.InMarch2007,additionalimagesnearTitan'snorthpole
revealedhydrocarbonseas,thelargestofwhichisalmostthesizeoftheCaspianSea.[137]InOctober
2006,theprobedetectedan8,000kmdiametercyclonelikestormwithaneyewallatSaturn'ssouth
pole.[138]
Saturn'snorthpolarvortexseenin
From2004to2November2009,theprobediscoveredand
(infrared)(animation)
confirmedeightnewsatellites.Itsprimarymissionendedin
2008whenthespacecrafthadcompleted74orbitsaroundthe
planet.Theprobe'smissionwasextendedtoSeptember2010
andthenextendedagainto2017,tostudyafullperiodofSaturn'sseasons.[139]

AtEnceladus'ssouthpolegeysers
spraywaterfrommanylocations
alongthetigerstripes. [133]

InApril2013Cassinisentbackimagesofahurricaneattheplanet'snorthpole20timeslargerthan
thosefoundonEarth,withwindsfasterthan530km/h.[140]
On19July2013,"TheDaytheEarthSmiled",CassiniwaspointedtowardsEarthtocaptureanimage
oftheEarthandtheMoon(and,aswell,VenusandMars)aspartofanaturallight,multiimageportrait
oftheentireSaturnsystem.ItwasthefirsttimeNASAinformedthepeopleofEarththatalong

distancephotowasbeingtakeninadvance.[141]

Observation
SaturnisthemostdistantofthefiveplanetseasilyvisibletothenakedeyefromEarth,theotherfour
beingMercury,Venus,MarsandJupiter.(Uranusandoccasionally4Vestaarevisibletothenakedeye
indarkskies.)Saturnappearstothenakedeyeinthenightskyasabright,yellowishpointoflightwith
anapparentmagnitudeofusuallybetween+1and0.Ittakesapproximately29.5yearsfortheplanetto
completeanentirecircuitoftheeclipticagainstthebackgroundconstellationsofthezodiac.Most
peoplewillrequireanopticalaid(verylargebinocularsorasmalltelescope)thatmagnifiesatleast30
timestoachieveanimageofSaturn'srings,inwhichclearresolutionispresent.[30][120]Twiceevery
Saturnianyear(roughlyevery15Earthyears),theringsbrieflydisappearfromview,duetothewayin
whichtheyareangledandbecausetheyaresothin.[142]Sucha"disappearance"willnextoccurin
2025,butSaturnwillbetooclosetotheSunforanyringcrossingobservationtobepossible.[143]

Amateurtelescopicview

Saturnanditsringsarebestseenwhentheplanetisat,ornear,opposition,theconfigurationofaplanetwhen
itisatanelongationof180,andthusappearsoppositetheSuninthesky.ASaturnianoppositionoccurs
everyyearapproximatelyevery378daysandresultsintheplanetappearingatitsbrightest.However,both
theEarthandSaturnorbittheSunoneccentricorbits,whichmeanstheirdistancesfromtheSunvaryover
time,andthereforesodotheirdistancesfromeachother,hencevaryingthebrightnessofSaturnfromone
oppositiontotheother.Also,Saturnappearsbrighterwhentheringsareangledsuchthattheyaremore
visible.Forexample,duringtheoppositionof17December2002,Saturnappearedatitsbrightestduetoa
favorableorientationofitsringsrelativetotheEarth,[144]eventhoughSaturnwasclosertotheEarthandSun
inlate2003.[144]

Simulatedappearanceof
SaturnasseenfromEarthat
opposition,20012029

Also,fromtimetotimeSaturnisoccultedbytheMoon(thatis,theMooncoversupSaturninthesky).
AswithalltheplanetsintheSolarSystem,occultationsofSaturnoccurinseasons.Saturnian
occultationswilltakeplace12ormoretimesovera12monthperiod,followedbyaboutafiveyear
periodinwhichnosuchactivityisregistered.[145]AustralianastronomyexpertsHillandHorner
explaintheseasonalnatureofSaturnianoccultations:
ThisistheresultofthefactthatthemoonsorbitaroundtheEarthistiltedtotheorbitof
theEartharoundtheSunandsomostofthetime,themoonwillpassaboveorbelow
Saturninthesky,andnooccultationwilloccur.ItisonlywhenSaturnliesnearthepoint

SaturneclipsestheSun,asseenfrom
Cassini

thatthemoonsorbitcrossestheplaneoftheeclipticthatoccultationscanhappenand
thentheyoccureverytimethemoonswingsby,untilSaturnmovesawayfromthe
crossingpoint.[145]

Inculture
Saturninastrology( )istherulingplanetofCapricornand,traditionally,Aquarius.
Saturn,theBringerofOldAgeisamovementinGustavHolst'sThePlanets.
TheSaturnfamilyofrocketsweredevelopedbyateamofmostlyGermanrocketscientistsledby
WernhervonBrauntolaunchheavypayloadstoEarthorbitandbeyond.[146]Originallyproposed
asamilitarysatellitelauncher,theywereadoptedasthelaunchvehiclesfortheApolloprogram.
ThedaySaturdayisnamedaftertheplanetSaturn,whichisderivedfromtheRomangodof
agriculture,Saturn(linkedtotheGreekgodCronus).[147][148]

Seealso
DragonStorm(astronomy)
Sixthplanet(disambiguation)
Spaceexploration
Timelineofthefarfuture

Saturn,froma1550editionofGuido
Bonatti'sLiberastronomiae

Notes
a.Referstothelevelof1baratmosphericpressure

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Furtherreading
Lovett,L.etal.(2006).Saturn:ANewView.NewYork:HarryN.Abrams,Inc.ISBN9780810930902.
Karttunen,H.etal.(2007).FundamentalAstronomy(5thed.).NewYork:Springer.ISBN9783540341437.

Externallinks
Saturnprofile(http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Saturn)atNASA'sSolarSystemExplorationsite
SaturnFactSheet(http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/saturnfact.html),byNASA
GazeteerofPlanetaryNomenclatureSaturn(USGS)(http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/?System=Saturn)
CassiniHuygensmission(http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/)toSaturn,byNASA

ResearchNews(http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/space_time/saturn/)aboutSaturn
Generalinformation(http://www.solarviews.com/eng/saturn.htm)aboutSaturn
StudiesontheRings(http://www.affs.org/html/studies_on_the_rings_of_saturn.html)ofSaturn
AstronomyCast:Saturn(http://www.astronomycast.com/2007/10/episode59saturn/)
SaturninDaytime(12inchtelescope)(https://secure.flickr.com/photos/vontom/5362248377/)
Saturn'Rev175'RawPreview(http://www.ciclops.org/view_event/185/Saturn_Rev_175_Raw_Preview?js=1)
Haese,Paul."CapturingSaturn".SixtySymbols.BradyHaranfortheUniversityofNottingham.
BBCInOurTimeradioprogram(http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06vmr1m)
Retrievedfrom"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Saturn&oldid=707071200"
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