SATURN THE RINGED PLANET

BASIC FACTS

Saturn is the second largest planet after Jupiter. It has a set of seven thin rings around it. They are made up of ice-particles that travel round the planet. The rings emit a shine as well and the planet is very beautiful to look at. They can be seen even with a small telescope.

This planet has a diameter measuring about 120,000 kilometers almost 10 times that of the earth. It can be seen with naked eyes from the earth. Saturn has an oval orbit. Its axis tilts at an angle of about 27°. It rotates faster than any other planet except Jupiter. It completes one round of its rotation in 10 hours 39 minutes. It takes about 10759 earth-days (about 29.5 earth-years) to go round the sun once.

SPECIAL FEATURES

It is believed that Saturn is a giant ball of gas, with no solid surface. But it may have a hot solid inner core made up of iron and rocky material. The outer core around this inner core consists of ammonia, methane and water. About this outer core is a mantle of compressed liquid hydrogen. And around this layer is a coat composed of hydrogen and helium.

The upper layers of this hydrogen and helium become gaseous and merge with the atmosphere of the planet as it too consists of these very two gases. Over all, Saturn is covered by a layer of thick clouds.

Scientists are not sure about any life on this planet. It has changing seasons each of which lasts about 7.5 earth-years. The temperature above the clouds is averagely -176° C. It goes on increasing below the clouds.

Saturn has 23 moons the largest of which is Titan. It was discovered in 1655 A.D. It is the only moon known to have an atmosphere in the entire solar system.

IN MYTHOLOGY

In Roman mythology, Saturn was considered as the god of fertility and agriculture.