Saturn

Lindsey Silver

Symbol and Origin

In Roman mythology Saturn is named after the g-d of agriculture

DiscoveryKnown in ancient times until 1610 when Galileo Galilei looked into his telescope and notice Saturn’s moons. Then in 1659 Christiaan Huygens discovered Saturn’s rings.

Galileo Galilei

Christiaan Huygens

Distances

Order from Sun: 6th

Distance from Sun (km): 1,429,400,000Distance from Earth (km): 1,670,000,000

Planet MeasurementsMass: 5.68 * 1026kgVolume: 816,547,068 * 1015kgDensity: 687kgGravity: 10.44m/sSaturn would float in water because it is less dense than water

Orbit and Rotation

It takes Saturn 29 years to orbit the Sun.Saturn takes 10.7 hours to rotate on its own axis.

Atmosphere and Temperature

Saturn’s atmosphere is made up of mostly Hydrogen and Helium.Saturn’s range is -2900FCompared to Florida it is freezing.

Composition and Appearance

Saturn is a Gas Giant, this means that Saturn has no solid surface.Saturn’s internal composition consists of the core, inner mantle, outer mantle, and the atmosphere.Saturn is similar to Jupiter but smaller. Saturn is not perfectly round. Saturn is wider in the middle and more narrow near its top and bottom.

WeatherSometimes there is Wind storms that occur.Some of Saturn’s moons produce rain that hits Saturn’s surface.

RingsGalileo discovered Saturn’s rings in the 17th century when he looked through his telescope. The rings are made of ice chunks and rocks. There are three rings that are divided into eight parts.

Saturn has at least 63 moons. The first moon, Titan was noticed by Christiaan Huygens. Jean-Dominique Cassini then discovered 4 other major moons.

Water

Some of Saturn’s moons have a layer of ice on them. There is also a layer of water ice in Saturn’s atmosphere

Human Life

A person would gain about 8lb to their weight. It is impossible for a human to survive on Saturn because they would freeze to death.

Special Facts

Saturn is the least dense planet in the Solar System. Saturn spins so quickly on its axis that the planet flattens itself. Saturn has only been visited four times by spacecraft. It is possible that there is life on one of Saturn’s moon called Enceladus.

Bibliography

"Nine Planets." The Solar System Tour. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Dec. 2013.

"Solar System Exploration: Home Page." Solar System Exploration: Home Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Dec. 2013.

"All About Astronomy - Enchanted Learning Software." All About Astronomy - Enchanted Learning Software. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Dec. 2013.

"Our Solar System." The Solar System. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Dec. 2013.