Saturn
Slide 3 What is Saturn?
Saturn is the second biggest planet in the solar system with a mean radius of about 58, 232 km but it is the least dense planet in the solar system. It’s density is about 0.687 grams per cubic centimetre making it the only planet less dense than water. Saturn spins faster than any other planet except Jupiter, completing a rotation roughly every 10 and half hours. The rapid spinning causes Saturn to bulge at its equator and flatten at its poles making it the flattest of the planets. The planet is 13,000 km wider at its equator than between the poles. In Roman mythology Saturn was the father of Jupiter, King of the gods. This is interesting because Saturn and Jupiter are similar in so many respects, including size and composition. Saturn’s average distance from the sun is about 1.4 billion kilometers (9.54 AU). Its perihelion (closest approach to the sun) is about 1.3 billion km and its aphelion is about 1.5 billion km. The distance from earth is about 1.2 billion km.
Slide 4 How was Saturn discovered?
Saturn was first discovered by an Italian scientist Galileo Galilei. He first saw the Saturn’s rings in 1610 but was confused by its odd appearance. He described them as “handles” and later he thought of them as twin moons orbiting around Saturn. The image he was seeing wasn’t clear because he was using his …show more content…
Saturn produces its only heat and light energy by the friction of the helium rain which can be found in the atmosphere. It has a pale yellow colour because of the ammonia crystals which can be found in the outer atmosphere as well. It has a low surface gravity because it does not have a solid surface like Earth. Its rings stay in orbit by the gravitational force given by Saturn and its
Saturn is the second biggest planet in the solar system with a mean radius of about 58, 232 km but it is the least dense planet in the solar system. It’s density is about 0.687 grams per cubic centimetre making it the only planet less dense than water. Saturn spins faster than any other planet except Jupiter, completing a rotation roughly every 10 and half hours. The rapid spinning causes Saturn to bulge at its equator and flatten at its poles making it the flattest of the planets. The planet is 13,000 km wider at its equator than between the poles. In Roman mythology Saturn was the father of Jupiter, King of the gods. This is interesting because Saturn and Jupiter are similar in so many respects, including size and composition. Saturn’s average distance from the sun is about 1.4 billion kilometers (9.54 AU). Its perihelion (closest approach to the sun) is about 1.3 billion km and its aphelion is about 1.5 billion km. The distance from earth is about 1.2 billion km.
Slide 4 How was Saturn discovered?
Saturn was first discovered by an Italian scientist Galileo Galilei. He first saw the Saturn’s rings in 1610 but was confused by its odd appearance. He described them as “handles” and later he thought of them as twin moons orbiting around Saturn. The image he was seeing wasn’t clear because he was using his …show more content…
Saturn produces its only heat and light energy by the friction of the helium rain which can be found in the atmosphere. It has a pale yellow colour because of the ammonia crystals which can be found in the outer atmosphere as well. It has a low surface gravity because it does not have a solid surface like Earth. Its rings stay in orbit by the gravitational force given by Saturn and its