The sixth planet from the sun is Saturn. It is the largest planet of the solar system after Jupiter. Astronomers call Jupiter and Saturn as relatives. Saturn is similar to Jupiter in terms of rotation and atmosphere. It is also known for its popular ring structure. Saturn is also a gas giant as it is composed of gases such as helium, hydrogen and methane. Without wasting any time let’s find out fun facts about Saturn.

Surprising fun facts about Saturn

Gas Giant

There are some planets in the Solar system that are known as gas giants. These planets are Neptune, Uranus, Jupiter and Saturn. Being a gas giant extreme physical and atmospheric conditions prevail on Saturn.

Lightest Planet

Though it is large in terms of mass and diameter, Saturn is the lightest planet of the solar system. The presence of more hydrogen gas than Helium makes it lighter – as hydrogen gas is less dense. Saturn is such a light planet that it would float if thrown in water.

Beautiful Planet

Saturn’s ring system makes it the most beautiful planet in the solar system, of course, after Earth.

Ring System

Saturn has an incredible ring system. Rings surrounding Saturn are stretched out into space for thousands of kilometres. The ring of Saturn is made up of rocks pieces and ice crystal. The size of rocks and ice crystals surrounding the planet are variable. Some are as big as horses while others are small as dust particles.  

Can be seen with naked eye

The 5th brightest object in the solar system is Saturn. Even a small telescope or binoculars can help you in studying Saturn.

How long is a day on Saturn?

Saturn has low density and fast rotation because the polar diameter of the planet is 90 percent of its equatorial diameter. Moreover, the planet completes a single rotation around its axis in 10 hours and 34 minutes. Due to fast spin Saturn has the shortest day in the solar system only second to Jupiter.

How large is the Saturn ring?

Saturn rings are so large that it would take hundreds of days to drive around just one Saturn ring. If you drive with the speed of 75 miles per hour then one round of ring would be completed in 258 days.

It can fit earth several times

Saturn is so big that more than 700 Earths can fit inside the planet. The diameter of Saturn is 120, 000 km which is 10 times the diameter of Earth.

Saturn’s Winds   

In the upper atmosphere of the planet winds can reach the speed of 1, 118 miles per hour. The winds speeds measured on Saturn are slightly more than Jupiter.  

Magnetic Field

The magnetic field on Saturn has north and south poles just like a bar magnet. The magnetic field of Saturn rotates the planet. Furthermore, the field of Saturn is 20 times weaker than that of Jupiter. Because Saturn’s magnetic field is created by fluid motion in the interior of the planet.

A year on Saturn 

Thirty years on Earth make just one year on Saturn.

Saturn’s Moon

Saturn has 82 moons out of which 53 are named while other 29 are waiting for official naming. Enceladus is Saturn’s smaller moon. Astronomers have discovered that it reflects 90 percent of sunlight. It means Enceladus has more reflecting power than snow.

Distance from Sun

Saturn is 1.4 billion kilometres away from the sun. The sunlight takes 80 minutes to reach Saturn.

Where did the name come from?

Saturn is named after the Roman god of agriculture who was father of the Roman god Jupiter. The Greeks known the planet as Cronus.

Nickname

“The Ringed Planet” is the nickname of Saturn. The nickname arises from its rings that are merely 20 meters thick.

Interior Temperature

The interior of Saturn is very hot and the temperature can reach up to 21,000 degree Fahrenheit.

Largest Moon of Saturn

Titan is the largest moon of Saturn – has its own atmosphere.

When Galileo spot the planet

In 1610, Galileo spotted the planet for the first time with a telescope.