System III is based on radio emissions and has mostly replaced the use of the term System II. From this distance, it takes sunlight 80 minutes to travel from the Sun to Saturn. In order to view the planet Saturn and distinguish its characteristic rings, you will need a telescope that has: At least 50x magnification power; At least a 2.76-inch (70 mm) objective measurement (size of the primary lens or mirror) Instagram – https://instagram.com/universetoday, Team: Fraser Cain – @fcain / [email protected] The mean radius of the body of Saturn is 36,184 miles (58,232 kilometers). Saturn, the sixth planet in the solar system, is the second largest. Cassini. Again, the equatorial diameter of Saturn is 120,536 km and its polar diameter is 108,728 km. The celestial coordinates, magnitude, distances and speed are updated in real time and are computed using high quality data sets provided by the JPL Horizons ephemeris service (see acknowledgements for details). © Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window), Podcast: Humans to Mars, Part 2 – Colonists, https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/, https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2, https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK–MdCSg, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw, Episode 699: Open Space 96: The End of the International Space Station? The atmosphere of Saturn is broken down into systems. There was a problem. [Amazing Video of Saturn Stitched Together from Old NASA Photos], — Nola Taylor Redd, SPACE.com Contributor. Jupiter's moon Ganymede is the only moon in our Solar System that is larger than Titan. With a radius of 36,183.7 miles (58,232 kilometers), Saturn is 9 times wider than Earth. SIZE AND SHAPE Saturn is about 74,898 miles (120,536 km) in diameter (at the equator at the cloud tops). Its diameter at the equator is about 31,763 miles (51,118 kilometers), as measured at the level of the atmosphere where … Galileo Galilei was the first to see Saturn's rings in 1610, although from his telescope … Pluto2,300 km .23 mm 0.18. See no ads on this site, see our videos early, special bonus material, and much more. The water vapor from these geysers enter Saturn’s orbit become charged, thus creating a drag effect on Saturn’s magnetic field. Titan is the largest moon of the planet Saturn. That makes it the second largest planet in our Solar System, trailing only Jupiter. This page shows Saturn location and other relevant astronomical data in real time. Saturn has a lovely set of seven main rings with spaces between them. This means that it is almost nine times the size of the planet Earth. Join us at patreon.com/universetoday. Some scientists think that the variance is due to geyser activity on the Saturnian moon Enceladus. The mean density of Saturn is 0.687 grams per cubic centimeter, making it the only planet in the solar system less dense than water. Galileo , with his primitive telescope in 1610, [142] [143] incorrectly thought of Saturn's appearing not quite round as two moons on Saturn's sides. Saturn has a thick atmosphere. If you had a model of Saturn that was a meter stick wide (3 feet), its rings would be about 10,000 times thinner than a razor blade! 2 In Dim Light Saturn is the sixth planet from our Sun (a star) and orbits at a distance of about 886 million miles (1.4 billion kilometers) from the Sun. Saturn Earth Ratio (Saturn/Earth) Mass (10 24 kg) 568.34: 5.9724: 95.16: Volume (10 10 km 3) 82,713: 108.321: 763.59: Equatorial radius (1 bar level) (km) 60,268: 6,378.1: 9.449: Polar radius (1 bar level) (km) 54,364: 6,356.8: 8.552: Volumetric mean radius (km) 58,232: 6,371.0: 9.140: Ellipticity (Flattening) 0.09796: 0.00335: 29.24: Mean density (kg/m 3) 687: 5,514: 0.125 Here’s Hubblesite’s News Releases about Saturn, and more information from Solar Views. Chunks range in size from a penny to a car. One day on Saturn goes by in just 10.7 hours. Saturn Diameter. 764 Earths could fit inside a hollowed-out Saturn. That doesn’t include Saturn’s rings. The rapid rotation serves to flatten the planet slightly at the poles while bulging at the equator. That estimated speed is 10 hours 32 minutes and 35 seconds as of September 2007. Dione – The 4th largest moon of Saturn named after a vague character in Greek Mythology. His newest book is called the Biological Universe, and features the search for life in the Milky Way and Beyond. Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain In 2007, it was determined that the varying radio emissions from the planet did not match Saturn’s rotation rate. And More…, Episode 697: Interview: Theoretical Physicist Dr. Peter Woit, Episode 696: Open Space 94: Is It Realistic to Declare a "Free Mars"? Effective temperature: - 288 degrees Fahrenheit. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. The second stage was also discarded. Light takes approximately 1 hour and 29 minutes to travel from Saturn and then arrive at Earth. Receive mail from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors? The current estimate of Saturn’s rotation is based on various measurements from the Cassini, Voyager and Pioneer probes. The five rings are composed primarily of chunks of water-ice, mixed with pieces of rocks. Saturn's rings are about 175,000 miles (282,000 km) across, but only about 3,200 feet (~1 km) thick. https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/, Audio Podcast version: The equatorial diameter of Saturn is 120,536 km ± 8 km (74,898 ± 5 mi) – or the equivalent of almost 9.5 Earths. Get breaking space news and the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more! The rings have a total diameter of over 185,000 miles, though individual rings are no more than 6/10th of a mile thick. Saturn's diameter, radius and circumference The mean radius of the body of Saturn is 36,184 miles (58,232 kilometers). The diameter of Titan is 5,150 km (3,200 miles), which is about the distance across the United States. At a distance of 9.6 AU away from the Sun and 10.6 AU away from Earth, it is the sixth most distant planet. Title. Much of what is known about the planet is due to the Voyager explorations in 1980-81. And More…, Episode 698: Open Space 95: Would SpaceX Have Survived without NASA? Engine, ECOTEC 2.4L Variable Valve Timing DOHC 4-cylinder, aluminum (173 hp [129.0 kW] @ 5800 rpm, 167 lb-ft of torque [225.5 N-m] @ 4500 rpm) Please deactivate your ad blocker in order to see our subscription offer. Time on Saturn. It has a rotational speed of 10 hours 39 minutes and 22.4 seconds. Saturn Vue - Find out the correct alloy wheel fitment, PCD, offset and such specs as bolt pattern, thread size(THD), center bore(CB) for all model years of Saturn Vue. To make things even more difficult, the visible features of the planet’s atmosphere rotate at different speeds depending on their latitude. The scale factoris 1 to 10 billion. A walk around the equator of Saturn would carry you 227,349 miles (365,882 kilometers). It is very important to understand why the difference in these diameters is so large, that is why so much detail is given on the rotational speed of the planet. Karla Thompson – @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw In comparison, its polar diameter is only 108,728 km (67,560 miles), or 10 percent smaller, which makes Saturn the most oblate (flattened at the poles) of all the planets in the solar system. Saturn and its rings would just fit in the distance between Earth and the Moon. Saturn is about 9.5 times farther away from the Sun than Earth. Despite its size, its mass exceeds all the moons smaller than itself combined. The Cassini spacecraft found the radio rotational speed of Saturn to be 10 hours 45 minutes and 45 seconds. The Guide to Space is a series of space and astronomy poddcasts by Fraser Cain, publisher of Universe Today, Episode 700: Interview: Wallace Arthur and the Biological Universe. This is a simplified description of how they determine rotational speed. The angular diameter of an object in the sky is determined both by its distance from the Earth, but also by its size. That makes it the second largest planet in our Solar System, trailing only Jupiter. In the case of Saturn this distance is quite a bit different due to the planet’s high rotational speed. Learn More About Saturn. This is about 9.4 times the diameter of the Earth. Titan is the second largest moon in our Solar System. Saturn's beautiful rings, visible even with an inexpensive telescope, make it a favorite in the night sky. Orbit and Rotation Neptune49,523 km 5.0 mm 4. Join our 836 patrons! *Response times vary by subject and question complexity. You will receive a verification email shortly. 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