Saturn

Saturn is the second-largest planet in our solar system and is famous for its spectacular system of bright rings. Often called the “Jewel of the Solar System,” Saturn is a gas giant made mostly of hydrogen and helium, with a beautiful pale yellow hue caused by ammonia crystals in its upper atmosphere.

While Jupiter is slightly larger, Saturn is much less dense. In fact, Saturn is the only planet in the solar system that would float in a giant bathtub of water because its average density is lower than water.

The Rings of Saturn

Saturn’s rings are made of countless icy particles ranging in size from tiny grains of dust to house-sized chunks. These rings stretch over 170,000 miles from edge to edge but are surprisingly thin — in most places less than 100 feet thick. The main rings are named A, B, and C, with the Cassini Division creating a large gap between the A and B rings.

The rings are constantly changing as particles collide and are influenced by Saturn’s many moons. Some rings are shepherded by small “shepherd moons” that help keep the particles in narrow bands.

Key Facts About Saturn

Diameter: 74,898 miles (120,536 km) — about 9.5 times wider than Earth
Mass: 95 times Earth’s mass
Distance from the Sun: 886 million miles (9.58 AU) on average
Day Length: About 10.7 hours
Year Length: 29.5 Earth years
Average Cloud-Top Temperature: -288°F (-178°C)

Atmosphere and Moons

Saturn’s atmosphere shows faint bands and occasional storms, though they are much less dramatic than Jupiter’s. The planet also has powerful auroras near its poles. Like Jupiter, Saturn has a very strong magnetic field, though not quite as intense.

Saturn has at least 146 known moons. The largest, Titan, is bigger than the planet Mercury and is the only moon in the solar system with a thick atmosphere. Titan has lakes and rivers of liquid methane and ethane on its surface. Another intriguing moon is Enceladus, which shoots geysers of water ice from cracks in its icy crust, suggesting a possible subsurface ocean.

Spacecraft such as NASA’s Cassini mission spent 13 years studying Saturn and its moons, revealing incredible details about the rings, the planet’s interior, and the habitability potential of some of its moons. Cassini even dove between the rings and the planet in its final dramatic mission phase.

Saturn’s breathtaking rings and diverse family of moons make it one of the most captivating destinations in the solar system. It continues to inspire wonder and scientific discovery as we learn more about how giant planets and their ring systems form and evolve.