When and by whom was Saturn discovered. Who discovered Saturn? Planets of the solar system

Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun solar system, one of the giant planets. A characteristic feature of Saturn, its decoration, is a system of rings, consisting mainly of ice and dust. It has many satellites. Saturn was named by the ancient Romans in honor of the god of agriculture they especially revered.

a brief description of

Saturn is the second largest planet in the solar system after Jupiter, with a mass of about 95 Earth masses. Saturn revolves around the Sun at an average distance of about 1430 million kilometers. The distance to the Earth is 1280 million km. Its circulation period is 29.5 years, and a day on the planet lasts ten and a half hours. The composition of Saturn practically does not differ from the solar one: the main elements are hydrogen and helium, as well as numerous impurities of ammonia, methane, ethane, acetylene and water. In terms of internal composition, it is more reminiscent of Jupiter: a core of iron, water and nickel, covered with a thin shell of metallic hydrogen. The atmosphere of a huge amount of gaseous helium and hydrogen envelops the core in a thick layer. Because the planet is made up mostly of gas and there is no solid surface, Saturn is considered a gas giant. For the same reason, its average density is incredibly low - 0.687 g / cm 3, which is less than the density of water. This makes it the least dense planet in the system. However, the degree of compression of Saturn, on the contrary, is the highest. This means that its equatorial and polar radii are very different in size - 60,300 km and 54,400 km, respectively. This also implies a large difference in speeds for different parts of the atmosphere depending on latitude. The average speed of rotation around the axis is 9.87 km/s, and the orbital speed is 9.69 km/s.

A majestic spectacle is the system of Saturn's rings. They consist of fragments of ice and stones, dust, remnants of former satellites, destroyed by its gravitational
field. They are located very high above the equator of the planet, about 6 - 120 thousand kilometers. However, the rings themselves are very thin: each of them is about a kilometer thick. The whole system is divided into four rings - three main and one thinner. The first three are usually denoted in Latin letters. The middle B ring, the brightest and widest, is separated from the A ring by a space called the Cassini gap, in which the thinnest and almost transparent rings are located. It is little known that all four giant planets actually have rings, but they are almost invisible on all but Saturn.

There are currently 62 known moons of Saturn. The largest of them are Titan, Enceladus, Mimas, Tethys, Dione, Iapetus and Rhea. Titan, the largest of the moons, is similar to Earth in many ways. It has an atmosphere divided into layers, as well as liquid on the surface, which is already a proven fact. Smaller objects are thought to be asteroid fragments and may be less than a kilometer in size.

Planet formation

There are two hypotheses for the origin of Saturn:

The first, the contraction hypothesis, states that the sun and the planets formed in the same way. At the initial stages of its development, the solar system was a disk of gas and dust, in which separate sections gradually formed, denser and more massive than the substance surrounding them. As a result, these "condensations" gave rise to the Sun and the planets known to us. This explains the similarity of the composition of Saturn and the Sun and its low density.

According to the second "accretion" hypothesis, the formation of Saturn proceeded in two stages. The first one is the formation of dense bodies in the gas and dust disk like solid terrestrial planets. At this time, part of the gases in the region of Jupiter and Saturn scattered into outer space, which explains the small difference in composition between these planets and the Sun. At the second stage, larger bodies attracted gas from the cloud surrounding them.

Internal structure

The inner region of Saturn is divided into three layers. In the center there is a small but massive core of silicates, metals and ice compared to the total volume. Its radius is about a quarter of the radius of the planet, and its mass is from 9 to 22 Earth masses. The temperature in the core is about 12,000 °C. The energy emitted by the gas giant is 2.5 times the energy it receives from the Sun. There are several reasons for this. First, the source of internal heat can be the energy reserves accumulated during the gravitational contraction of Saturn: during the formation of the planet from a protoplanetary disk, the gravitational energy of dust and gas turned into kinetic and then into heat. Secondly, part of the heat is created due to the Kelvin-Helmholtz mechanism: when the temperature drops, the pressure also drops, due to which the substance of the planet is compressed, and potential energy is converted into heat. Third, as a result of the condensation of helium droplets and their subsequent fall through the hydrogen layer into the core, heat can also be generated.

The core of Saturn is surrounded by a layer of hydrogen in a metallic state: it is in the liquid phase, but has the properties of a metal. Such hydrogen has a very high electrical conductivity, therefore, the circulation of currents in it creates a powerful magnetic field. Here, at a depth of about 30 thousand km, the pressure reaches 3 million atmospheres. Above this level is a layer of liquid molecular hydrogen, which gradually becomes a gas with height, in contact with the atmosphere.

Atmosphere

Since gas planets do not have a solid surface, it is difficult to determine exactly where the atmosphere begins. For Saturn, the height at which methane boils is taken as such a zero level. The main components of the atmosphere are hydrogen (96.3%) and helium (3.25%). Also, spectroscopic studies found in its composition water, methane, acetylene, ethane, phosphine, ammonia. The pressure at the upper boundary of the atmosphere is about 0.5 atm. At this level, ammonia condenses and white clouds form. At the bottom of the clouds are composed of ice crystals and water droplets.

The gases in the atmosphere are constantly moving, as a result of which they take the form of bands parallel to the diameter of the planet. There are similar bands on Jupiter, but they are much fainter on Saturn. Due to convection and rapid rotation, incredibly strong winds are formed, the most powerful in the solar system. Winds mostly blow in the direction of rotation, to the east. At the equator, the air currents are the strongest, their speed can reach 1800 km/h. As we move away from the equator, the winds weaken, westerly flows appear. The movement of gases occurs in all layers of the atmosphere.

Large cyclones can be very persistent and last for years. Once every 30 years, the Great White Oval appears on Saturn - a super-powerful hurricane, the size of which each time becomes larger. During the last observation in 2010, it made up a quarter of the entire disk of the planet. Also, interplanetary stations discovered an unusual formation in the form of a regular hexagon at the north pole. Its form has been stable for 20 years after the first observation. Each side of it is 13,800 km - more than the diameter of the Earth. For astronomers, the reason for the formation of just such a form of clouds is still a mystery.

The Voyager and Cassini cameras captured glowing regions on Saturn. They were the aurora borealis. They are located at a latitude of 70-80° and look like very bright oval (rarely spiral) rings. It is believed that the auroras on Saturn are formed as a result of the rearrangement of the magnetic field lines. As a result, the magnetic energy heats up the surrounding regions of the atmosphere and accelerates the charged particles to high speeds. In addition, lightning discharges are observed during strong storms.

Rings

When we talk about Saturn, the first thing that comes to mind is its amazing rings. Spacecraft observations have shown that all gaseous planets have rings, but only on Saturn they are clearly visible and pronounced. The rings are made up of tiny particles of ice, rocks, dust, fragments of meteorites drawn in by the gravity of the system from outer space. They are more reflective than the disk of Saturn itself. The ring system consists of three main rings and a thinner fourth. Their diameter is approximately 250,000 km, and their thickness is less than 1 km. The rings are named by the letters of the Latin alphabet in order, from the periphery to the center. Rings A and B are separated from each other by a space 4000 km wide, called the Cassini gap. Inside the outer ring A there is also a gap - Encke's dividing strip. Ring B is the brightest and widest, and Ring C is almost transparent. The D, E, F, G rings, which are dimmer and closest to the outer part of Saturn's atmosphere, were discovered later. After the space stations took pictures of the planet, it became clear that in fact all large rings consist of many thinner rings.

There are several theories about the origin and formation of Saturn's rings. According to one of them, the rings were formed as a result of the “capture” by the planet of some of its satellites. They were destroyed, and their fragments were evenly distributed along the orbit. The second says that the rings formed along with the planet itself from the initial cloud of dust and gas. The particles that make up the rings cannot form more than large objects like satellites due to too small size, erratic movement and collisions with each other. It is worth noting that the system of Saturn's rings is not considered absolutely stable: part of the substance is lost, being absorbed by the planet or dissipating into the circumplanetary space, and part, on the contrary, is compensated when comets and asteroids interact with the gravitational field.

Of all the gas giants, Saturn has the most similarities with Jupiter in its structure and composition. A significant part of both planets is an atmosphere of a mixture of hydrogen and helium, as well as some other impurities. Such an elemental composition practically does not differ from the solar one. Under a thick layer of gases is a core of ice, iron and nickel, covered with a thin shell of metallic hydrogen. Saturn and Jupiter highlight large quantity heat than they receive from the Sun, since about half of the energy they radiate is due to internal heat fluxes. So Saturn could have become a second star, but it didn't have enough material to generate enough gravitational force to fuel fusion.

Modern space observations have shown that the clouds at the north pole of Saturn form a giant regular hexagon, the length of each side of which is 12.5 thousand km. The structure rotates with the planet and has not lost its shape for 20 years since its first discovery. A similar phenomenon is not observed anywhere else in the solar system, and scientists still have not been able to explain it.

The Voyager spacecraft have detected strong winds on Saturn. Air flow speeds reach 500 m/s. The winds blow mainly in an easterly direction, although as they move away from the equator, their strength weakens and streams directed to the west appear. Some data suggest that the circulation of gases occurs not only in the upper layers of the atmosphere, but also at depth. Also, hurricanes of colossal power periodically appear in the atmosphere of Saturn. The largest of them - the "Big White Oval" - appears once every 30 years.

Now in the orbit of Saturn is the interplanetary station "Cassini", controlled from the Earth. It was launched in 1997 and reached the planet in 2004. Its goal is to study the rings, atmosphere and magnetic field of Saturn and its satellites. Thanks to Cassini, many high-quality images were obtained, auroras were discovered, the hexagon mentioned above, mountains and islands on Titan, traces of water on Enceladus, previously unknown rings that could not be seen with ground-based instruments.

The rings of Saturn in the form of processes on the sides can be seen even in small binoculars with a lens diameter of 15 mm or more. A telescope with a diameter of 60-70 mm already shows a small disk of the planet without details, surrounded by rings. Larger instruments (100-150 mm) show Saturn's cloudy belts, pole caps, ring shadows, and some other details. With telescopes larger than 200 mm, you can perfectly see dark and light spots on the surface, belts, zones, details of the structure of the rings.

Planet characteristics:

Distance from the Sun: 1,427 million km
Planet Diameter: ~ 120,000 km*
Days on the planet: 10h 13m 23s**
Year on the planet: 29.46 years old***
t° on the surface: -180°C
Atmosphere: 96% hydrogen; 3% helium; 0.4% methane and traces of other elements
Satellites: 18

* diameter at the equator of the planet
** period of rotation around its own axis (in Earth days)
*** orbital period around the Sun (in Earth days)

Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun - the average distance to the star is almost 9.6 AU. e. (≈780 million km).

Presentation: the planet Saturn

The period of revolution of the planet in orbit is 29.46 years, and the time of revolution around its axis is almost 10 hours and 40 minutes. The equatorial radius of Saturn is 60268 km, and its mass is more than 568 thousand billion megatons (with an average density of planetary matter of ≈0.69 g/cm3). Thus, Saturn is the second largest and most massive planet in the solar system after Jupiter. At an atmospheric pressure of 1 bar, the temperature of the atmosphere is 134 K.

Internal structure

Main chemical elements The constituents of Saturn are hydrogen and helium. These gases pass at high pressure inside the planet, first into a liquid state, and then (at a depth of 30 thousand km) into a solid state, since under the physical conditions existing there (pressure ≈3 million atm.), hydrogen acquires a metallic structure. A strong magnetic field is created in this metal structure, its strength at the upper boundary of the clouds in the equator region is 0.2 Gs. Below the layer of metallic hydrogen is a solid core of more heavy elements, for example, iron.

atmosphere and surface

In addition to hydrogen and helium, the planet's atmosphere contains small amounts of methane, ethane, acetylene, ammonia, phosphine, arsine, german and other substances. Medium molecular mass is 2.135 g/mol. The main characteristic of the atmosphere is its uniformity, which does not make it possible to distinguish fine details on the surface. The speed of the winds on Saturn is high - at the equator it reaches 480 m/s. The temperature of the upper boundary of the atmosphere is 85 K (-188°C). There are many methane clouds in the upper atmosphere - several dozen belts and a number of individual eddies. In addition, powerful thunderstorms and auroras are quite often observed here.

Satellites of the planet Saturn

Saturn is a unique planet that has a ring system with billions of small objects of ice particles, iron and rock, as well as many satellites - all of which revolve around the planet. Some satellites are large. For example, Titan, one of the largest satellites of the planets in the solar system, is second in size only to Jupiter's moon Ganymede. Titan is the only satellite in the entire solar system that has an atmosphere, moreover, similar to the earth, where the pressure is only one and a half times higher than at the surface of the planet Earth. In total, Saturn has 62 satellites already discovered, they have their own orbits around the planet, the rest of the particles and small asteroids are included in the so-called ring system. All new satellites are beginning to open up to researchers, so for 2013 the last confirmed satellites were Egeon and S / 2009 S 1.

The main feature of Saturn, which distinguishes it from other planets, is a huge system of rings - its width is almost 115 thousand km with a thickness of about 5 km. The constituent elements of these formations are particles (their size reaches several tens of meters), consisting of ice, iron oxide and rocks. In addition to the ring system, this planet has a large number of natural satellites - about 60. The largest is Titan (this satellite is the second largest in the solar system), whose radius exceeds 2.5 thousand km.

With the help of the interplanetary apparatus Cassini, a unique phenomenon was captured on the planet thunderstorm. It turns out that on Saturn, as well as on our planet Earth, thunderstorms occur, only they occur many times less often, but the duration of a thunderstorm lasts for several months. This video thunderstorm lasted on Saturn from January to October in 2009 and was the most real storm on the planet. Radio frequency crackles (characterizing lightning flashes) are also heard on the video, as Georg Fischer (scientist at the Space Research Institute in Austria) said about this extraordinary phenomenon - "This is the first time we've seen lightning and heard radio data at the same time"

Exploring the planet

Galileo was the first to observe Saturn in 1610 with his 20x telescope. The ring was discovered by Huygens in 1658. The greatest contribution to the study of this planet was made by Cassini, who discovered several satellites and gaps in the structure of the ring, the widest of which bears his name. With the development of astronautics, the study of Saturn was continued using automatic spacecraft, the first of which was Pioneer-11 (the expedition took place in 1979). Space research was continued by vehicles from the Voyager and Cassini-Huygens series.

Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the solar system in terms of diameter and mass. Often, Saturn is called sister planets. When compared, it becomes clear why Saturn and Jupiter were designated as relatives. From the composition of the atmosphere to the features of rotation, these two planets are very similar. It is in honor of this similarity that in Roman mythology Saturn was named after the father of the god Jupiter.

A unique feature of Saturn is the fact that this planet is the least dense in the solar system. Although Saturn has a dense, solid core, the planet's large, gaseous outer layer average the density of the planet is only up to 687 kg/m3. As a result, it turns out that the density of Saturn is less than that of water, and if it were the size of a matchbox, it would easily float along the spring stream.

Orbit and rotation of Saturn

The average orbital distance of Saturn is 1.43 x 109 km. This means that Saturn is 9.5 times farther from the Sun than the total distance from the Earth to the Sun. As a result, it takes about an hour and twenty minutes for sunlight to reach the planet. In addition, given the distance of Saturn from the Sun, the duration of the year on the planet is 10.756 Earth days; that is, about 29.5 Earth years.

The eccentricity of Saturn's orbit is the third largest after and. As a result of such a large eccentricity, the distance between the planet's perihelion (1.35 x 109 km) and aphelion (1.50 x 109 km) is quite significant - about 1.54 x 108 km.

Saturn's 26.73-degree axial tilt is very similar to Earth's, which explains why the planet has the same seasons as Earth. However, due to the remoteness of Saturn from the Sun, it receives much less sunlight during the year and for this reason the seasons on Saturn are much more "blurred" than on Earth.

Talking about the rotation of Saturn is just as interesting as talking about the rotation of Jupiter. With a rotation speed of approximately 10 hours and 45 minutes, Saturn is second only to Jupiter, which is the fastest rotating planet in the solar system. Such extreme rates of rotation no doubt affect the shape of the planet, giving it the shape of a spheroid, that is, a sphere that bulges somewhat around the equator.

The second surprising feature of Saturn's rotation is the different rotation rates between different apparent latitudes. This phenomenon is formed as a result of the fact that the predominant substance in the composition of Saturn is gas, and not a solid body.

Saturn's ring system is the most famous in the solar system. The rings themselves are mostly made up of billions of tiny particles of ice, along with dust and other comical debris. This composition explains why the rings are visible from Earth through telescopes - ice has a very high reflectance of sunlight.

There are seven broad classifications among the rings: A, B, C, D, E, F, G. Each ring got its name according to English alphabet in order of occurrence frequency. The most visible rings from Earth are A, B and C. In fact, each ring is thousands of smaller rings, literally pressed against each other. But there are gaps between the main rings. The gap between rings A and B is the largest of these gaps and is 4700 km.

The main rings begin at a distance of about 7,000 km above Saturn's equator and extend for another 73,000 km. It is interesting to note that, despite the fact that this is a very significant radius, the actual thickness of the rings is no more than one kilometer.

The most common theory to explain the formation of rings is the theory that in the orbit of Saturn, under the influence of tidal forces, a medium-sized satellite broke up, and this happened at the moment when its orbit became too close to Saturn.

Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the last of the planets known to ancient civilizations. It is believed that it was first observed by the inhabitants of Babylon.
Saturn is one of the five planets that can be seen with the naked eye. It is also the fifth brightest object in the solar system.
In Roman mythology, Saturn was the father of Jupiter, the king of the gods. A similar ratio has in terms of the similarity of the planets with the same name, in particular in size and composition.
Saturn releases more energy than it receives from the Sun. It is believed that this feature is due to the gravitational contraction of the planet and the friction of a large amount of helium in its atmosphere.
Saturn takes 29.4 Earth years to complete its orbit around the Sun. Such a slow movement relative to the stars was the reason for the ancient Assyrians to designate the planet as "Lubadsagush", which means "the oldest of the old."
Saturn has some of the fastest winds in our solar system. The speed of these winds has been measured, the maximum figure is about 1800 kilometers per hour.
Saturn is the least dense planet in the solar system. The planet is mostly hydrogen and has a density less than that of water - which technically means that Saturn will float.
Saturn has over 150 moons. All of these satellites have an icy surface. The largest of these are Titan and Rhea. Enceladus is a very interesting satellite, as scientists are sure that a water ocean is hidden under its ice crust.

Saturn's moon Titan is the second largest moon in the solar system, after Jupiter's moon Ganymede. Titan has a complex and dense atmosphere composed primarily of nitrogen, water ice, and rock. The frozen surface of Titan has liquid lakes of methane and a topography covered in liquid nitrogen. Because of this, researchers believe that if Titan is a harbor for life, then this life will be fundamentally different from the earth.
Saturn is the flattest of the eight planets. Its polar diameter is 90% of its equatorial diameter. This is due to the fact that the low-density planet has a high rotation rate - it takes Saturn 10 hours and 34 minutes to rotate around its axis.
On Saturn, oval-shaped storms occur, which are similar in structure to those that occur on Jupiter. Scientists believe that this pattern of clouds around the north pole of Saturn may be a real example of the existence of atmospheric waves in the upper clouds. Also above the south pole of Saturn there is a vortex, which in its form is very similar to the hurricane storms that occur on Earth.
In telescope lenses, Saturn is usually seen in a pale yellow color. This is because its upper atmosphere contains ammonia crystals. Below this top layer are clouds that are mostly water ice. Even lower, layers of icy sulfur and cold mixtures of hydrogen.

The starry sky has always attracted romantics, poets, artists and lovers with its beauty. Since time immemorial, people have admired the scattering of stars and attributed to them special magical properties.

Ancient astrologers, for example, were able to draw a parallel between the date of birth of a person and the star that shone brightly at that moment. It was believed that it can influence not only the totality of the character traits of the newborn, but also its entire further fate. Stargazing helped farmers determine the best date for sowing and harvesting. It can be said that much in the life of ancient people was subject to the influence of stars and planets, so it is not surprising that mankind has been trying to study the planets closest to the Earth for more than one century.

Many of them are currently quite well studied, but some can present scientists with many surprises. To such planets, astronomers, in the first place, include Saturn. A description of this gas giant can be found in any textbook on astronomy. However, scientists themselves believe that this is one of the most poorly understood planets, all the mysteries and secrets of which humanity is not even able to list yet.

Today you will receive the most detailed information about Saturn. The mass of the gas giant, its size, description and comparative characteristics with the Earth - all this you can learn from this article. Perhaps you will hear some facts for the first time, and something will seem simply incredible to you.

Ancient conceptions of Saturn

Our ancestors could not accurately calculate the mass of Saturn and characterize it, but they definitely understood how majestic this planet was and even worshiped it. Historians believe that Saturn, which belongs to one of the five planets that are perfectly distinguishable from Earth with the naked eye, has been known to people for a very long time. It got its name in honor of the god of fertility and agriculture. This deity was highly revered among the Greeks and Romans, but in the future the attitude towards him changed slightly.

The fact is that the Greeks began to associate Saturn with Kronos. This titan was very bloodthirsty and even devoured his own children. Therefore, he was treated without due respect and with some apprehension. But the Romans revered Saturn very much and even considered him a god who gave humanity many of the knowledge necessary for life. It was the god of agriculture who taught ignorant people to build living quarters and save the grown crop until the next year. In gratitude to Saturn, the Romans held real holidays lasting several days. During this period, even slaves could forget about their insignificant position and fully feel like free people.

It is noteworthy that in many ancient cultures, Saturn, which scientists were able to characterize only after millennia, was associated with strong deities who confidently control the destinies of people in many worlds. Modern historians often think that ancient civilizations could have known much more about this giant planet than we do today. Perhaps other knowledge was available to them, and we only have to, throwing away dry statistical data, penetrate into the secrets of Saturn.

Brief description of the planet

In a few words, it is quite difficult to tell which planet Saturn really is. Therefore, in the current section, we will give the reader all the known data that will help to get some idea about this amazing celestial body.

Saturn is the sixth planet in our native solar system. Since it mainly consists of gases, it is classified as a gas giant. Jupiter is usually called the closest "relative" of Saturn, but besides it, Uranus and Neptune can also be added to this group. It is noteworthy that all gaseous planets can be proud of their rings, but only Saturn has them in such quantity that it allows you to see its majestic "belt" even from Earth. Modern astronomers rightly consider it the most beautiful and bewitching planet. After all, the rings of Saturn (what this magnificence consists of, we will tell in one of the following sections of the article) almost constantly change their color and each time their photo surprises with new shades. Therefore, the gas giant is one of the most recognizable among the other planets.

The mass of Saturn (5.68 × 10 26 kg) is extremely large compared to the Earth, we will talk about this a little later. But the diameter of the planet, which, according to the latest data, is more than one hundred and twenty thousand kilometers, confidently brings it to second place in the solar system. Only Jupiter, the leader in this list, can argue with Saturn.

The gas giant has its own atmosphere, magnetic fields and a huge number of satellites, which were gradually discovered by astronomers. Interestingly, the density of the planet is noticeably less than the density of water. Therefore, if your imagination allows you to imagine a huge pool filled with water, then be sure that Saturn will not drown in it. Like a huge inflatable ball, it will slowly slide over the surface.

Origin of the gas giant

Despite the fact that research on Saturn by spacecraft has been actively conducted over the past decades, scientists still cannot say for sure exactly how the planet was formed. To date, two main hypotheses have been put forward, which have their followers and opponents.

The Sun and Saturn are often compared in composition. Indeed, they contain high concentration hydrogen, which allowed some scientists to hypothesize that our star and the planets of the solar system were formed at almost the same time. Massive gas accumulations became the ancestors of Saturn and the Sun. However, none of the supporters of this theory can explain why, if I may say so, a planet was formed from the source material in one case, and a star in the other. The differences in their composition, too, no one can yet give a worthy explanation.

According to the second hypothesis, the process of formation of Saturn lasted hundreds of millions of years. Initially, there was the formation of solid particles, which gradually reached the mass of our Earth. However, at some point, the planet lost a large amount of gas, and at the second stage, it actively increased it from outer space by gravity.

Scientists hope that in the future they will be able to discover the secret of the formation of Saturn, but before that they still have many decades of waiting. After all, only the Cassini apparatus, which worked in its orbit for a long thirteen years, managed to get as close as possible to the planet. This autumn, he completed his mission, collecting for observers a huge amount of data that has yet to be processed.

planet orbit

Saturn and the Sun are separated by almost one and a half billion kilometers, so the planet does not get much light and heat from our main luminary. It is noteworthy that the gas giant rotates around the Sun in a slightly elongated orbit. However, in last years scientists claim that almost all planets do this. Saturn makes a complete revolution in almost thirty years.

The planet spins extremely fast around its axis, it takes about ten Earth hours for a revolution. If we lived on Saturn, that is how long a day would last. Interestingly, scientists tried to calculate the full rotation of the planet around its axis several times. During this time, an error of approximately six minutes occurred, which is considered quite impressive in the framework of science. Some scientists attribute it to the inaccuracy of instruments, while others argue that over the years, our native Earth began to rotate more slowly, which allowed errors to form.

Planet structure

Since the size of Saturn is often compared with Jupiter, it is not surprising that the structures of these planets are very similar to each other. Scientists conditionally divide the gas giant into three layers, the center of which is a rocky core. It has a high density and is at least ten times more massive than the Earth's core. The second layer, where it is located, is liquid metallic hydrogen. Its thickness is approximately fourteen and a half thousand kilometers. The outer layer of the planet is molecular hydrogen, the thickness of this layer is measured in eighteen and a half thousand kilometers.

Scientists, studying the planet, found out one interesting fact - it emits two and a half times more radiation into outer space than it receives from the star. They tried to find a definite explanation for this phenomenon, drawing a parallel with Jupiter. However, until now it remains another mystery of the planet, because the size of Saturn is smaller than its "brother", radiating in the world much more modest amounts of radiation. Therefore, today such activity of the planet is explained by the friction of helium flows. But how viable this theory, scientists cannot say.

Planet Saturn: composition of the atmosphere

If you observe the planet through a telescope, it becomes noticeable that the color of Saturn has a somewhat muted pale orange hue. On its surface, stripe-like formations can be noted, which are often formed into bizarre shapes. However, they are not static and quickly transform.

When we talk about gaseous planets, it is rather difficult for the reader to understand exactly how the difference between the conditional surface and the atmosphere can be determined. Scientists also faced a similar problem, so it was decided to determine a certain starting point. It is in it that the temperature begins to drop, and here astronomers draw an invisible boundary.

Saturn's atmosphere is almost ninety-six percent hydrogen. Of the constituent gases, I would also like to name helium, it is present in an amount of three percent. The remaining one percent is divided among themselves by ammonia, methane and other substances. For all living organisms known to us, the atmosphere of the planet is destructive.

The thickness of the atmospheric layer is close to sixty kilometers. Surprisingly, Saturn, like Jupiter, is often referred to as the "planet of storms." Of course, by the standards of Jupiter, they are insignificant. But for earthlings, a wind of almost two thousand kilometers per hour will seem like the real end of the world. Such storms occur on Saturn quite often, sometimes scientists notice formations in the atmosphere that resemble our hurricanes. In a telescope, they look like vast white spots, and hurricanes are extremely rare. Therefore, observing them is considered a great success for astronomers.

Rings of Saturn

The color of Saturn and its rings is approximately the same, although this "belt" sets a huge number of problems for scientists that they are not yet able to solve. It is especially difficult to answer questions about the origin and age of this splendor. To date, the scientific community has put forward several hypotheses on this topic, which no one can yet prove or disprove.

First of all, many young astronomers are interested in what the rings of Saturn are made of. Scientists can answer this question quite accurately. The structure of the rings is very heterogeneous, it consists of billions of particles that move at great speed. The diameter of these particles ranges from one centimeter to ten meters. They are ninety-eight percent ice. The remaining two percent are represented by various impurities.

Despite the impressive picture that the rings of Saturn present, they are very thin. Their thickness, on average, does not even reach a kilometer, while their diameter reaches two hundred and fifty thousand kilometers.

For simplicity, the rings of the planet are usually called one of the letters of the Latin alphabet, three rings are considered the most noticeable. But the second is considered the most striking and beautiful.

Ring formation: theories and hypotheses

Since ancient times, people have puzzled over exactly how the rings of Saturn were formed. Initially, a theory was put forward about the simultaneous formation of the planet and its rings. However, later this version was refuted, because scientists were struck by the purity of the ice, of which the “belt” of Saturn consists. If the rings had the same age as the planet, then their particles would be covered with a layer that can be compared to dirt. Since this did not happen, the scientific community had to look for other explanations.

The theory about the exploded satellite of Saturn is considered traditional. According to this statement, approximately four billion years ago, one of the planet's satellites came too close to it. According to scientists, its diameter could reach up to three hundred kilometers. Under the influence of the tidal force, it was torn into billions of particles that formed the rings of Saturn. The version about the collision of two satellites is also considered. Such a theory seems the most plausible, but recent data make it possible to determine the age of the rings as one hundred million years.

Surprisingly, the particles of the rings constantly collide with each other, form into new formations, and thus make it difficult to study them. Modern scientists are still unable to solve the mystery of the formation of the "belt" of Saturn, which has added to the list of mysteries of this planet.

Moons of Saturn

The gas giant has a huge number of satellites. Forty percent of all known systems revolve around it. To date, sixty-three moons of Saturn have been discovered, and many of them present no less surprises than the planet itself.

The size of satellites ranges from three hundred kilometers to more than five thousand kilometers in diameter. The easiest way for astronomers to discover large moons, most of them were able to describe in the late eighties of the eighteenth century. It was then that Titan, Rhea, Enceladus and Iapetus were discovered. These moons are still of great interest to scientists and are closely studied by them.

Interestingly, all the moons of Saturn are very different from each other. They are united by the fact that they are always turned to the planet with only one side and rotate almost synchronously. The three moons of greatest interest to astronomers are:

Titanium.
Enceladus.

Titan is the second largest in the solar system. It is not surprising that it is second only to one of the satellites of Titan, half the size of the Moon, and the size is comparable to Mercury and even exceeds it. Interestingly, the composition of this giant moon of Saturn contributed to the formation of the atmosphere. In addition, there is liquid on it, which puts Titan on a par with the Earth. Some scientists even suggest that there may be some form of life on the moon's surface. Of course, it will be significantly different from the earth, because the atmosphere of Titan consists of nitrogen, methane and ethane, and on its surface you can see lakes of methane and islands with a bizarre relief formed by liquid nitrogen.

Enceladus is an equally amazing satellite of Saturn. Scientists call it the brightest celestial body in the solar system because of its surface, completely covered with an ice crust. Scientists are sure that under this layer of ice there is a real ocean, in which living organisms may well exist.

Rhea recently surprised astronomers. After numerous shots, they were able to see several thin rings around her. It is too early to talk about their composition and size, but this discovery was shocking, because previously it was not even assumed that rings could rotate around the satellite.

Saturn and Earth: a comparative analysis of these two planets

Comparisons between Saturn and Earth are rarely made by scientists. These celestial bodies are too different to compare them with each other. But today we decided to expand the reader's horizons a little and still look at these planets with a fresh look. Is there anything in common between them?

First of all, it comes to mind to compare the mass of Saturn and the Earth, this difference will be incredible: the gas giant is ninety-five times larger than our planet. In size, it exceeds the Earth nine and a half times. Therefore, in its volume, our planet can fit more than seven hundred times.

Interestingly, the gravity on Saturn will be ninety-two percent of the earth's gravity. If we assume that a person weighing one hundred kilograms is transferred to Saturn, then his weight will decrease to ninety-two kilograms.

Every student knows that the earth's axis has a certain angle of inclination relative to the Sun. This allows the seasons to change each other, and people enjoy all the beauties of nature. Surprisingly, Saturn's axis has a similar tilt. Therefore, the planet can also observe the change of seasons. However, they do not have a pronounced character and it is quite difficult to trace them.

Like the Earth, Saturn has its own magnetic field, and recently scientists have witnessed a real aurora that spilled over the conditional surface of the planet. It pleased with the duration of the glow and bright purple hues.

Even from our small comparative analysis it is clear that both planets, despite the incredible differences, have something that unites them. Perhaps this makes scientists constantly turn their gaze towards Saturn. However, some of them laughingly say that if it were possible to look at both planets side by side, then the Earth would look like a coin, and Saturn would look like an inflated basketball.

Studying the gas giant that is Saturn is a process that puzzles scientists all over the world. More than once they sent probes and various apparatuses to him. Since the last mission was completed this year, the next one is scheduled only for 2020. However, now no one can say whether it will take place. For several years, negotiations have been underway on Russia's participation in this large-scale project. According to preliminary calculations, the new device will take about nine years to get into the orbit of Saturn, and another four years to study the planet and its largest satellite. Based on the foregoing, one can be sure that the disclosure of all the secrets of the planet of storms is a matter of the future. Perhaps you, our readers today, will also take part in this.

The planet Saturn is one of the most famous and interesting planets in the solar system. Everyone knows about Saturn with its rings, even those who have not heard anything about the existence, for example, or Neptune.

Perhaps, in many ways, he got such fame thanks to astrology, however, in a purely scientific sense, this planet is of great interest. Yes, and amateur astronomers love to observe this beautiful planet, because of the ease of observation and the beautiful sight.

Such an unusual and large planet as Saturn, of course, has some unusual properties. With many satellites and huge rings, Saturn forms a miniature solar system, which has a lot of interesting things. Here are some Interesting Facts about Saturn:

Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun, and the last known since ancient times. The next one after it was discovered with the help of a telescope, and even with the help of calculations.
Saturn is the second largest planet in the solar system after Jupiter. This is also a gas giant that does not have a solid surface.
The average density of Saturn is less than the density of water, moreover, twice. In a huge pool, it would float almost like styrofoam.
The planet Saturn has an inclination to the plane of the orbit, so the seasons change on it, each lasting 7 years.
Saturn has 62 satellites today, but this number is not final. Perhaps others will be open. Only Jupiter has more satellites. Update: On October 7, 2019, the discovery of 20 more new satellites was announced, and now Saturn has 82 of them, 3 more than Jupiter. Saturn holds the record for the number of satellites.
- the second largest in the solar system, after Ganymede, a satellite. It is 50% larger than the Moon and even slightly larger than Mercury.
Saturn's moon Enceladus may have a subglacial ocean. It is possible that some organic life could be found there.
The shape of Saturn is not spherical. It rotates very quickly - a day lasts less than 11 hours, therefore it has a flattened shape at the poles.
The planet Saturn releases more energy than it receives from the Sun, just like Jupiter.
The wind speed on Saturn can reach 1800 m/s - this is more than the speed of sound.
The planet Saturn does not have a solid surface. With depth, gas - mostly hydrogen and helium - simply condenses until it passes into a liquid, and then into a metallic state.
There is a strange hexagonal formation at the poles of Saturn.
There are auroras on Saturn.
Saturn's magnetic field is one of the most powerful in the solar system, extending a million kilometers from the planet. Near the planet, there are powerful radiation belts that are dangerous for the electronics of space probes.
A year on Saturn lasts 29.5 years. How long does it take for the planet to revolve around the sun?

Of course, this is not all interesting facts about Saturn - this world is too diverse and complex.

Characteristics of the planet Saturn

In the wonderful film "Saturn - Lord of the Rings", which you can watch, the announcer says - if there is a planet that conveys the splendor, mystery and horror of the universe, then this is Saturn. It really is.

Saturn is magnificent - it is a giant framed by huge rings. It is mysterious - many processes that take place there are still incomprehensible. And it is terrible, because on Saturn terrible things happen in our understanding - winds up to 1800 m / s, thunderstorms hundreds and thousands of times stronger than ours, helium rains, and much more.

Saturn is a giant planet, the second largest after Jupiter. The diameter of the planet is 120 thousand kilometers against 143 thousand y. He more earth 9.4 times, and could accommodate 763 planets like ours.

However, at a large size, Saturn is quite light - its density is less than that of water, because most of this huge ball is made up of light hydrogen and helium. If Saturn is placed in a huge pool, it will not sink, but will float! The density of Saturn is 8 times less than that of the earth. The second planet after it in density is .

Comparative sizes of the planets

Despite its huge size, gravity on Saturn is only 91% of Earth's, although total weight it has more than the Earth 95 times. If we were there, we would not see much difference in the force of attraction, of course, if we discard other factors that would simply kill us.

Saturn, despite its gigantic size, rotates around its axis much faster than the Earth - a day there lasts from 10 hours 39 minutes to 10 hours 46 minutes. This difference is explained by the fact that the upper layers of Saturn are predominantly gaseous, so it rotates at different latitudes at different speeds.

A year on Saturn is 29.7 of our years. Since the planet has an axial tilt, then, like ours, there is a change of seasons, which gives rise to a large number of strong hurricanes in the atmosphere. The distance from the Sun varies due to the somewhat elongated orbit, and averages 9.58 AU.

Satellites of Saturn

To date, 82 satellites of various sizes have been discovered around Saturn. This is more than any other planet, and even 3 more than Jupiter. Moreover, 40% of all satellites of the solar system revolve around Saturn. On October 7, 2019, a group of scientists announced the discovery of 20 new satellites at once, which made Saturn the record holder. Before that, 62 satellites were known.

One of the largest (second after Ganymede) satellite of the solar system revolves around Saturn -. It is almost twice the size of the Moon, and even larger than Mercury, but smaller. Titan is the second and only satellite with its own atmosphere of nitrogen with impurities of methane and other gases. Atmospheric pressure on the surface is one and a half times greater than the earth's, although the force of gravity there is only 1/7 of the earth's.

Titanium is the largest source of hydrocarbons. There are literally lakes and rivers of liquid methane and ethane. In addition, there are also cryogeysers, and in general, Titan is in many ways similar to the Earth at an early stage of existence. It is possible that primitive forms of life will also be found there. It is also the only satellite where a lander has been sent - it was Huygens, which landed there on January 14, 2005.

Such views on Titan, Saturn's moon.

Enceladus is the sixth largest moon of Saturn, with a diameter of about 500 km, which is of particular interest for research. It is one of the three satellites with active volcanic activity (the other two are Triton). There are a large number of cryo-geysers that eject water to great heights. Perhaps the tidal action of Saturn creates enough energy in the bowels of the satellite for liquid water to exist there.

The geysers of Enceladus, photographed by the Cassini spacecraft.

A subsurface ocean is also possible on the moons of Jupiter and Ganymede. The orbit of Enceladus is in the F ring, and the water escaping from it feeds this ring.

Saturn also has several other large satellites - Rhea, Iapetus, Dione, Tethys. They were among the first to be discovered, due to their size and visibility in rather weak telescopes. Each of these satellites represents its own unique world.

The famous rings of Saturn

The rings of Saturn are his business card”, and it is thanks to them that this planet is so famous. Saturn without rings is hard to imagine - it would just be a nondescript whitish ball.

Which planet has rings like Saturn's? There are no such in our system, although other gas giants also have rings - Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune. But there they are very thin, sparse, and are not visible from the Earth. The rings of Saturn are clearly visible even in a weak telescope.

The rings were first discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1610 with his homemade telescope. However, he did not see the rings that we see. To him, they looked like two incomprehensible rounded balls on the sides of the planet - the image quality in Galileo's 20x telescope was so-so, so he decided that he was seeing two large satellites. After 2 years, he again observed Saturn, but did not find these formations, and was greatly puzzled.

ring diameter in different sources slightly different is indicated - about 280 thousand kilometers. The ring itself is not solid at all, but consists of smaller rings of different widths, separated by intervals of also different widths - tens and hundreds of kilometers. All rings are marked with letters, and the gaps are called slots, and have names. The largest gap is between the A and B rings, and is called the Cassini gap - it can be seen with an amateur telescope, and the width of this gap is 4700 km.

The rings of Saturn are not at all solid, as it seems at first glance. This is not one single disk, but many small particles that rotate in their orbits at the level of the planet's equator. The size of these particles is very different - from the smallest dust to stones and blocks of several tens of meters. Their predominant composition is ordinary water ice. Since the ice has a large albedo - reflectivity, the rings are perfectly visible, although their thickness is only about a kilometer in the "thickest" place.

As Saturn and the Earth revolve around the Sun, we can see how the rings open up more and more, then completely disappear - the period of this phenomenon is 7 years. This happens due to the tilt of the axis of Saturn, and hence the rings, which are located strictly along the equator.

By the way, this is why Galileo could not detect the ring of Saturn in 1612. It's just that at that moment it was located "edge" to the Earth, and with a thickness of only a kilometer, it is simply impossible to see it from such a distance.

The origin of Saturn's rings is still unknown. There are several theories:

The rings were formed at the birth of the planet itself, it is like a building material that has never been used.
At some point, a large body approached Saturn, which was destroyed, and rings formed from its fragments.
Once upon a time, several large satellites, similar to Titan, revolved around Saturn. Over time, their orbit turned into a spiral, bringing them closer to the planet and imminent death. As they approached, the satellites collapsed, giving rise to a lot of debris. These fragments remained in orbit, colliding and fragmenting more and more, and over time they formed the rings that we see now.

Further research will show which version of events is correct. However, it is clear that the rings of Saturn are a temporary phenomenon. After some time, the planet will absorb all their material - debris leaves orbit and falls on it. If the rings are not fed with material, then over time they will become smaller until they completely disappear. Of course, this will not happen in one million years.

Seeing Saturn with a Telescope

Saturn in the sky looks like a fairly bright star in the south, and you can observe it even in a small one. It is especially good to do this during oppositions, which happen once a year - the planet looks like a star of 0 magnitude, and has an angular size of 18 ". List of upcoming matches:

June 15, 2017.
June 27, 2018.
July 9, 2019.
July 20, 2020.

These days, Saturn's brightness is even brighter than that of Jupiter, although it is much further away. This is explained by the fact that the rings also reflect a lot of light, so the total reflection area is much larger.

You can even see the rings of Saturn with binoculars, although you will have to try to distinguish them. But in a 60-70 mm telescope, you can already quite well see both the disk of the planet and the rings, and the shadow on them from the planet. Of course, it is unlikely that it will be possible to consider any details, although with a good opening of the rings, one can notice the Cassini gap.

One of the amateur photos of Saturn (150 mm reflector Synta BK P150750)

To see some details on the planet's disk, you need a telescope with an aperture of 100 mm, and for serious observations - at least 200 mm. With such a telescope, one can see not only cloud belts and spots on the planet's disk, but also details in the structure of the rings.

Of the satellites, the brightest are Titan and Rhea, they can be seen already in 8x binoculars, although a 60-70 mm telescope is better. The rest of the large satellites are not so bright - from 9.5 to 11 stars. in. and weaker. To observe them, you need a telescope with an aperture of 90 mm or more.

In addition to the telescope, it is desirable to have a set of color filters that will help you better highlight different details. For example, dark yellow and orange filters help you see more detail in the planet's belts, green brings out more detail at the poles, and cyan brings out more detail on the rings.

Planets of the solar system