Saturn

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Saturn is one of the gas giants (together with Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune). It shares many attributes with Jupiter, but is not as heavy as Jupiter, but nearly 100 times as heavy as the earth.

Saturn is rotating very fast. There are different zones with different rotation speed. The rotation and the fact that Saturn is mostly liquid make him flatter to the poles, and thicker to the equator.

Saturn's interior is similar to Jupiters, having a relatively small stable core at the center. Around this is a area of metallic hydrogen, which again is surrounded by a layer of liquid hydrogen. This is surrounded by gaseous hydrogen. Traces of ices can also be found. Saturn is very hot in the inside, 12,000°K at the center.

It is named after the Roman God Saturn.

Planetary rings

Saturn has an outstanding system of rings, makes him one of the most visually notable objects in the solar system. Saturns rings persists mostly of ice and dust containing silica and iron oxide. The rings can be viewed using a usual telescope and even with moderate binoculars. They were discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1610 - not identifying them as rings. It was Christiaan Huygens 1655 who assumed that this was a ring around Saturn.

Moons

Saturn has 49 moons. There are two Moons in orbit around Saturn with geological activity, though they consist mostly of ice. Titan is the only moon with a considerable atmosphere.