Description

Saturn, the sixth planet from the Sun is the second largest planet in our Solar System (after Jupiter).

Being a gas giant, the planet is composed of mostly hydrogen with some small amounts of helium. Saturn has a small core of rock and ice. It has an average radius about nine times that of Earth. The yellow colour is caused by to ammonia crystals in the upper atmosphere

The ring system is of course the most prominent feature of this planet, it is composed mostly of ice particles and can already be seen in a relatively small telescope.

At least 62 moons are known to orbit Saturn. The largest moon is Titan which is actually the second largest moon on the Solar System and is even bigger than the planet Mercury.

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Image data

Name Saturn
Type Gas giant
Perihelion 9,04 AU
Aphelion 10,12 AU
Orbital period 29,45 yr
Equatorial radius 9,44 Earths
Mass 95,15 Earths
Eq. Surface gravity 1,06 G
Sidereal rot. period 10h 34m
Apparant magnitude +1,47 to -0,24
Known satellites 62 formally designated, 53 are named, over 200 moonlets