SATURN
Planet No. 6 • The Ringed Planet
Welcome to the Saturn information file! Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest planet in our solar system. Although several planets have rings, Saturn's enormous icy ring system makes it one of the most recognizable worlds in space.
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PLANET OVERVIEW
Saturn is an enormous gas giant made mostly of hydrogen and helium. Like Jupiter, it does not have a solid surface. The deeper you travel into Saturn, the denser and hotter its gases become.
Saturn is best known for its spectacular rings, but the planet itself is also fascinating. Its atmosphere contains powerful winds and storms, while a large family of moons travels around it.
Saturn is best known for its spectacular rings, but the planet itself is also fascinating. Its atmosphere contains powerful winds and storms, while a large family of moons travels around it.
☀ LOCATION
Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun. Its average distance from the Sun is about 886 million miles.
SIZE
Saturn is the second-largest planet in our solar system. Its equatorial diameter is about 74,900 miles, making it more than nine times wider than Earth.
RINGS
Saturn's rings are made of countless pieces of ice, rock and dust. Some particles are tiny grains while others can be as large as houses or mountains.
☁ ATMOSPHERE
Saturn's atmosphere is made mostly of hydrogen and helium. Its pale clouds are shaped into bands by powerful winds that can reach more than 1,000 miles per hour.
✦ SATURN FAST FACTS ✦
| Position from Sun | 6th planet |
| Planet Type | Gas Giant |
| Length of Year | About 29.5 Earth years |
| Length of Day | About 10.7 hours |
| Moons | Hundreds of known moons, including Titan, Enceladus, Rhea and Iapetus |
| Rings | Yes — a huge system of icy rings |
| Equatorial Diameter | About 74,900 miles |
| Main Ingredients | Hydrogen and helium |
| Famous Feature | Its enormous ring system |
WHAT ARE SATURN'S RINGS LIKE?
Saturn's rings stretch hundreds of thousands of miles around the planet, but they are surprisingly thin compared with their enormous width. The rings are divided into many sections, including the bright A Ring, B Ring and C Ring.
A dark-looking region called the Cassini Division separates the A and B rings. It is not completely empty, but contains far fewer particles than the brighter rings around it.
Most of the ring material is water ice mixed with smaller amounts of rocky material and dust. Scientists are still studying exactly how Saturn's rings formed and how old they are.
A dark-looking region called the Cassini Division separates the A and B rings. It is not completely empty, but contains far fewer particles than the brighter rings around it.
Most of the ring material is water ice mixed with smaller amounts of rocky material and dust. Scientists are still studying exactly how Saturn's rings formed and how old they are.
★ DID YOU KNOW? ★
Saturn is the least dense planet in the solar system. Its average density is lower than liquid water! If you could somehow find an ocean large enough to hold an entire planet, Saturn would be less dense than the water around it.
Saturn is the least dense planet in the solar system. Its average density is lower than liquid water! If you could somehow find an ocean large enough to hold an entire planet, Saturn would be less dense than the water around it.
SPACECRAFT MISSION LOG
> DESTINATION: SATURN
> PIONEER 11
Became the first spacecraft to make a close flyby of Saturn in 1979 and returned new information about the planet and its rings.
> VOYAGER 1 & 2
Flew through the Saturn system in the early 1980s, photographing the planet, its rings and many of its moons in far greater detail.
> CASSINI
Entered orbit around Saturn in 2004 and spent more than 13 years studying the planet, its rings and its moons.
> HUYGENS
Traveled to Saturn aboard Cassini and landed on the surface of Titan in 2005, becoming the first spacecraft to land on a world in the outer solar system.
> STATUS:
THE SATURN SYSTEM REMAINS A MAJOR TARGET FOR FUTURE EXPLORATION...
> PIONEER 11
Became the first spacecraft to make a close flyby of Saturn in 1979 and returned new information about the planet and its rings.
> VOYAGER 1 & 2
Flew through the Saturn system in the early 1980s, photographing the planet, its rings and many of its moons in far greater detail.
> CASSINI
Entered orbit around Saturn in 2004 and spent more than 13 years studying the planet, its rings and its moons.
> HUYGENS
Traveled to Saturn aboard Cassini and landed on the surface of Titan in 2005, becoming the first spacecraft to land on a world in the outer solar system.
> STATUS:
THE SATURN SYSTEM REMAINS A MAJOR TARGET FOR FUTURE EXPLORATION...