If we imagine that we can throw Saturn into a large ocean, Saturn will float without sinking. From this imagination, we can somewhat guess that Saturn is a large gas sphere and that the solid interior is very small.
Scientists say that this is the reason why Saturn has an
average density of 0.71 and the planet appears slightly more flat. The average
density of the Earth is about 5.2. If we compare Saturn's average density with
this, we see that Saturn's density is very low.
Saturn's gravity is not much different from Earth's, about
1.17 times. This means that a person weighing 70 kg on Earth would weigh 82 kg
on Saturn. Saturn is the sixth planet out of the nine planets in the solar
system.
It is about 1.42 billion kilometres from the Sun and about
1.27 billion kilometres from Earth. Saturn takes 29 1/2 years to orbit the Sun
once and rotates on its axis every ten hours. Saturn is the second largest
planet after Jupiter.
It could contain exactly 763 Earths, but Saturn is only about
95 times more massive than Earth. Due to its great distance from the Sun,
Saturn's average temperature is very low, estimated at minus 30 degrees
Celsius.
At this temperature, the ammonia that is abundant in Saturn's
atmosphere is reduced, leaving the entire surface of Saturn as an icy region.
Saturn is characterized by a flat ring around the centre of Saturn, which is
not seen on other planets.
Jupiter and Uranus also have rings, but they are not as
prominent as Saturn's. Voyager 1981 provided some insight into Saturn's rings.
It has been shown that billions of icy particles orbit Saturn like satellites and that they are grouped together to form a ring with wide gaps. It is also
thought that these rings may have been formed by the explosion of Saturn's
satellites.
These rings are designated D, C, B, A, F, G, and E,
respectively. The rings closest to Saturn are circular, while the rings farther
away are oval. How billions of particles can move smoothly in a particular ring
without disturbing the structure of Saturn's rings is still a mystery. Although
Saturn has many satellites like Jupiter, the exact details of the satellites
have not been confirmed.
Saturn's moons are currently estimated to be 146 but were
previously estimated to be 15 or 16. Most of the moons are icy, although the rest
of the moons, except Mimas, have solid interiors.
Of Saturn’s moons, Titan is the only one with an
atmosphere, which appears orange, suggesting that it may be the first stage of
the evolution of a habitable environment for life.
One side of Saturn's moon Lapetus is 5 times brighter than
the other side, and it is not yet understood why. Phoebe is the only one that
does not rotate like the other moons but rotates in the opposite direction.
Enceladus reflects the light falling on it completely, which
is why it appears very bright. In addition, some small moons are found in the A
and F ring regions. These are considered guard moons. Their movement has been
revealed to be very surprising. There are two small moons on both sides of the F
ring.
These guard and protect any particles moving in the ring by
not expelling them. This is why the orbits and rings of these two planets are
in a complicated situation.