Designations | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pronunciation | /ˈsætərn/ [1] | ||||||||||||
Named after | Saturn | ||||||||||||
Adjectives | Saturnian /səˈtɜːrniən/,[2] Cronian[3] / Kronian[4] /ˈkroʊniən/[5] | ||||||||||||
Symbol | |||||||||||||
Orbital characteristics[6] | |||||||||||||
Epoch J2000.0 | |||||||||||||
Aphelion | 1,514.50 million km (10.1238 AU) | ||||||||||||
Perihelion | 1,352.55 million km (9.0412 AU) | ||||||||||||
1,433.53 million km (9.5826 AU) | |||||||||||||
Eccentricity | 0.0565 | ||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
378.09 days | |||||||||||||
Average orbital speed | 9.68 km/s (6.01 mi/s) | ||||||||||||
317.020°[8] | |||||||||||||
Inclination | |||||||||||||
113.665° | |||||||||||||
2032-Nov-29[10] | |||||||||||||
339.392°[8] | |||||||||||||
Known satellites | 146 with formal designations; innumerable additional moonlets.[11][12] | ||||||||||||
Physical characteristics[6] | |||||||||||||
58,232 km (36,184 mi)[b]
9.1402 Earths | |||||||||||||
Equatorial radius |
| ||||||||||||
Polar radius |
| ||||||||||||
Flattening | 0.09796 | ||||||||||||
Circumference | 365882.4 km (227348.8 mi) (equatorial)[13] | ||||||||||||
Volume |
| ||||||||||||
Mass |
| ||||||||||||
Mean density | 0.687 g/cm3 (0.0248 lb/cu in)[c] 0.1246 Earths | ||||||||||||
0.22[15] | |||||||||||||
35.5 km/s (22.1 mi/s)[b] | |||||||||||||
10 h 32 m 36 s; 10.5433 hours,[16] 10 h 39 m; 10.7 hours[7] | |||||||||||||
10h 33m 38s + 1m 52s − 1m 19s [17][18] | |||||||||||||
Equatorial rotation velocity | 9.87 km/s (6.13 mi/s; 35,500 km/h)[b] | ||||||||||||
26.73° (to orbit) | |||||||||||||
North pole right ascension | 40.589°; 2h 42m 21s | ||||||||||||
North pole declination | 83.537° | ||||||||||||
Albedo | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
−0.55[23] to +1.17[23] | |||||||||||||
−9.7[24] | |||||||||||||
14.5″ to 20.1″ (excludes rings) | |||||||||||||
Atmosphere[6] | |||||||||||||
Surface pressure | 140 kPa[25] | ||||||||||||
59.5 km (37.0 mi) | |||||||||||||
Composition by volume | |||||||||||||
Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant with an average radius of about nine-and-a-half times that of Earth.[26][27] It has only one-eighth the average density of Earth, but is over 95 times more massive.[28][29][30] Even though Saturn is nearly the size of Jupiter, Saturn has less than one-third of Jupiter's mass. Saturn orbits the Sun at a distance of 9.59 AU (1,434 million km) with an orbital period of 29.45 years.
Saturn's interior is thought to be composed of a rocky core, surrounded by a deep layer of metallic hydrogen, an intermediate layer of liquid hydrogen and liquid helium, and finally, a gaseous outer layer. Saturn has a pale yellow hue due to ammonia crystals in its upper atmosphere. An electrical current within the metallic hydrogen layer is thought to give rise to Saturn's planetary magnetic field, which is weaker than Earth's, but which has a magnetic moment 580 times that of Earth due to Saturn's larger size. Saturn's magnetic field strength is around one-twentieth of Jupiter's.[31] The outer atmosphere is generally bland and lacking in contrast, although long-lived features can appear. Wind speeds on Saturn can reach 1,800 kilometres per hour (1,100 miles per hour).
The planet has a bright and extensive ring system composed mainly of ice particles, with a smaller amount of rocky debris and dust. At least 146 moons[32] are known to orbit the planet, of which 63 are officially named; this does not include the hundreds of moonlets in its rings. Titan, Saturn's largest moon and the second largest in the Solar System, is larger (while less massive) than the planet Mercury and is the only moon in the Solar System to have a substantial atmosphere.[33]
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