What is the 6^th planet from the Sun, has rings, and is the 2^nd largest planet in our solar system? Probably the most amazing thing about this planet is that it would float in a bathtub. All of the other planets would sink. If you don’t know what I am talking about, it’s Saturn!

Basic Facts:

Saturn is the sixth planet in our solar system. It is 888 million miles away from the sun. Saturn is most famous for its rings that are made of ice. If you lived on Saturn, every 30 earth years would be one year. Think about it, one birthday every 30 years!

The atmosphere on Saturn is made 94% of hydrogen and helium makes up most of the rest. There are also traces of different gases. Those gases are methane, ammonia, and water vapor. These gases make a cloud that makes Saturn appear yellow.

Saturn’s Moons:

Saturn has 23 moons. They range from Titan, which is bigger than Mercury, to moons that are only 50 to 60 miles in diameter. (It’s just like comparing a basketball to a marble). Titan is the second largest moon in our solar system. The largest is Jupiter’s Ganymead. Titan’s atmosphere is very thick. No other moon in the solar system has one like it. The atmosphere has a deep layer of smog, like clouds, which prevent us from seeing Titan’s surface. Titan has a lot of the same gases in the air on Earth. Scientists wonder if it is possible for any life form to live on Titan. But the temperature is too low to live there.

Saturn’s Discovery:

In 1610, the Italian scientist Galileo Galilee was the first person to look at Saturn through a telescope. He saw something on both sides of the planet. In 1659, the Dutch astronomer named Christian Hughes said these some things were rings around the planet. In 1675, Jean Dominique Cessini discovered a gap between what are now called A and B rings. Saturn’s rings would fit in the distance between earth and the moon. In 1980, NASA found that Saturn’s rings are mostly made of ice. There are seven sections containing thousands of rings.

NASA. <http://www.nasa.gov> Last visited: March 2002.

Kerrod, Robbin. Saturn. Graham Beehag Books, 2000.

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