![]() ![]() Outwards from Saturn, the ring groups are D, C, B, A, F, G, and E. Seven groups (four primary and three fainter) comprise Saturn's rings.If the 11" long axis of the sheet represents the span of the rings from one side to the other, the rings' thickness would be 1/100th the thickness of the paper! To understand the thinness of the rings, imagine an 8.5" x 11" sheet of paper. The rings extend more than 175,000 miles from the planet but are quite thin-only about 100 yards thick. The rings comprise billions of dust particles, ice chunks, and rocky remnants of comets, asteroids, and shattered moons. Although other planets do have rings, Saturn has the most complex ring system in the Solar System.It takes approximately ten and a half hours to make a complete rotation on its axis. Saturn is the flattest planet in the Solar System due to its low density and fast rotation speed.Australian husband-and-wife team Darryl Milika and Patricia Nicholas were the first amateur astronomers to image the hexagon in 2013 using a Celestron C14. Voyager first discovered the storm, and, later Cassini mapped it. It is located at the planet's north pole and shaped like a near-perfect hexagon. Saturn's largest storm is twice as large as Earth.Below, it is mostly water ice with bands of intermixed ammonium hydrosulfide ice. Like Jupiter, Saturn is hydrogen and helium with no actual landmass.If a body of water were large enough to hold it, Saturn would float. Saturn is the least dense planet in the Solar System.Only one space probe, Huygens, descended to its surface and briefly transmitted data back to the Cassini orbiter until its batteries failed. It has a thick yellow-orange atmosphere of methane and nitrogen, and its surface contains liquid methane lakes. Titan is Saturn's largest moon and the second-largest moon in the Solar System.The Cassini spacecraft has observed water plumes jet into space, revealing a possible habitable environment under its surface. One of Saturn's smallest moons, Enceladus, is covered in ice and appears to have an ocean hidden below its frozen surface.NASA scientists have confirmed 146 moons orbiting Saturn as of June 8, 2023.If Saturn were hollow, more than 700 Earths could fit inside.They can be over a billion miles apart on opposite sides of the Sun. When Earth and Saturn are at their closest, they lie approximately 746 million miles apart.It would take 9.5 planet Earths lined side-by-side to span Saturn's equatorial diameter and 21 to span its massive rings.On Saturn, you would be nearly 30 years old and celebrating your first birthday! It takes 29.5 Earth years for Saturn to orbit around the Sun.Today, history credits the discovery of Saturn's rings to him. Instead, he noted that the gas giant had "lobes." In 1655, Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens was the first to propose that a ring encircled Saturn. Although Galileo Galilei was the first to observe Saturn through a telescope, his tiny refractor was not powerful enough to discern its rings for what they were.So, let us become better acquainted with Saturn, the true "Lord of the Rings." We will share some interesting facts about Saturn, give our recommendations on equipment, point out the planet's must-see features, provide some helpful observing tips, and more. Saturn will look oval through binoculars you’ll need a telescope to see its rings and a few of its brightest moons. The ringed planet will reside in the constellation Aquarius, the water-bearer, appearing as a yellow dot to the naked eye. During opposition, Saturn shines brighter than any other time of the year at a magnitude of +0.4. PDT), Saturn reaches opposition and will be at its closest approach to Earth with its face fully illuminated by the Sun. And once you've seen it, the planet will remain a favorite target for years. As any amateur observer can tell you, viewing Saturn's rings through a telescope for the first time is unforgettable. Its magnificent rings can singlehandedly claim credit for inspiring countless people worldwide to discover the hobby of astronomy. Saturn has captured the admiration of telescope viewers for hundreds of years. The planet's opulent rings indeed evoke this image of wealth. Named after the Roman god Saturnus, Saturn (known in Greek mythology as Cronus) is the god of agriculture and abundance. There is no more breathtaking object in our Solar System than the sixth planet from the Sun, Saturn. ![]()
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