Overview of Saturn

Saturn is Saturn's sixth planet based on the average distance from the Sun and the second largest planet in diameter and mass, after Jupiter in the Solar System.

Saturn is a giant gas planet with an average radius of 9 times that of the Earth. Although the planet's mass is 95 times the mass of the Earth, but with a volume greater than 763 times, Saturn's average density is only one-eighth of that of the Earth.

Saturn's structure

Saturn's internal structure probably consists of an iron, nickel and rock core (silicon and oxygen compounds), surrounded by a thick layer of metallic hydrogen, an intermediate layer between liquid hydrogen and liquid helium and the atmosphere. on the top.

The main component of the planet is hydrogen, which becomes an ideal liquid when the density is higher than 0.01 g / cm3. This density is achieved at a radius of 99.9% of Saturn's volume. The internal temperature, pressure and density increase gradually towards the core, and in the deeper layers of the planet, hydrogen changes to the metal phase.

Actual color image of Saturn, taken by Cassini.

Saturn's atmosphere

Saturn's outer atmosphere contains 96.3% of hydrogen molecules and 3.25% of helium. The ratio of helium decreases significantly compared to the presence of this element in the Sun. Scientists still do not know exactly which elements are heavier than helium in the planet's atmosphere, but they assume that the proportions of these elements are equal to their original proportions from the formation of the Solar System.

Clouds on Saturn

Saturn's atmosphere appears with bands of color similar to that of Jupiter, but Saturn's bands of color are dimmer and wider at the equator. Scientists use names for these bands similar to Jupiter's. Saturn's cloudy clouds were not discovered until the Voyager flew through the planet in the 1980s.

Saturn's magnetosphere

Saturn has a simple magnetic dipole-like magnetic field. Its intensity at equator equals - 0.21 gauss (21 µT) - approximately equal to one-twelfth of the magnetic field strength surrounding Jupiter and slightly weaker than the Earth's magnetic field. [18] And so Saturn has a much smaller volume than that of Jupiter.

Saturn's orbit

The average distance between Saturn and the Sun is over 1.4 billion kilometers (9 AU). With an average orbital speed of 9.69 km / s, Saturn takes 10,759 Earth days (or about 29.5 years), to go all the way around the Sun. The elliptical orbit of Saturn is about 2.48 ° relative to the Earth's orbit.

Planetary belt

Saturn's belt (taken by the 2007 Cassini orbit) is the largest planetary belt in the Solar System.

Saturn is perhaps best known for its planetary belt system, making it the most prominent image.

This ring extends from 6,630 km to 120,700 km above Saturn's equator, with an average thickness of 20 meters and contains 93% water ice, a little tholin and 7% amorphous carbon.

Saturn's natural satellite

So far Saturn has at least 62 satellites, 53 of which have been named. In it, Titan is Saturn's largest satellite, accounting for more than 90% of the total mass of all objects orbiting Saturn including the perimeter.

Explore Saturn

Pioneer 11 was the first ship to fly over Saturn in September 1979, when it was 20,000 km from the planet's peak. The photos were sent to the planet and some of its satellites, but the resolution was too low to clearly see the surface details. The ship also studied Saturn's belt, discovered the thin F belt and the dark spaces in the rim light up when viewed under a large inclination angle towards the Sun, or these dark spaces containing small dust particles. light radiation. In addition, Pioneer 11 measured Titan's temperature and showed that the satellite was too cold to survive.

Saturn obscures the Sun, seen from Cassini.

In November 1980, Voyager 1 spacecraft arrived at the Saturn system. It has sent high resolution photos of the planet, its rings and satellites. Surface details of many satellites were observed for the first time.

A year later, in August 1981, Voyager 2 continued to fly over and study this planetary system. More photos of Saturn satellites are sent to Earth, as well as additional data on changes in the atmosphere and planetary rings.

On July 1, 2004, the Cassini – Huygens spacecraft took steps to adjust flight parameters and enter orbit. Before going into orbit, Cassini did research on this planetary system. In June 2004, she flew over the Phoebe satellite, sending it to the data center and satellite high definition image control center.