The Saturn

Introductory text to the planet Saturn

Saturn is the sixth planet in the solar system, the second largest after Jupiter and nearly one hundred times as massive as Earth. Particularly striking are the rings around Saturn, which is why it is also called ring planet. The other three gas planets Jupiter, Neptune and Uranus also have ring systems, although not to the same extent as Saturn.

In good weather Saturn can be seen without a telescope in the sky, which is why it was already known to man in ancient times. The Romans named him after Saturn, the god of agriculture. He corresponds in Greek mythology to the god Kronos.

The rings are invisible to the naked eye. Galileo Galilei was the first to describe the rings through his telescope, but mistakenly assumed it was two other planets. His telescope was not strong enough to fully recognize the rings. Only the Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens clearly identified the rings in the middle of the 17th century.

With increasing proximity to the nucleus of the planet, the gases go into a liquid state of aggregation. Hydrogen (96%) and helium (3%) make up the majority. The density of 0.7 g / cm³ is the lowest of all eight planets. The core is most likely a core of rock and ice. A core of iron and nickel has also been discussed. Whether made of metals or rocks, the core has a mass equal to that of ten earths.

For a turn around the sun, Saturn needs almost 30 years. The rotation around its own axis, however, is much faster. A day on Saturn takes just over 10 hours. Only on Jupiter are the days even shorter. However, there is a difference in the rotational speed between equator and pole. Unlike Earth, the surface of Saturn is made of gas. Centrifugal forces cause the region around the equator to rotate faster than the region around the pole. This is a phenomenon typical of gas planets and known by the term differential rotation.

The rings of Saturn

The rings of Saturn consist mainly of small particles of rock and ice, which are attracted by the gravity of the planet. So far, seven larger rings have been identified in Saturn's orbit. They are named systematically: A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. However, this does not correspond to the actual order, since the ring system was only revealed step by step. In fact, these are not seven large, but more than 100,000 small rings. At a maximum thickness of 100m, the ring system around the Saturn is comparatively thin. Within a radius of 70,000 to 500,000 km, the rings orbit Saturn. With the exception of the Phoebe ring, which lies within a radius of 6,000,000 to 16,000,000km. The dark dust particles are practically invisible.

Two ways are most likely for the formation of the rings. Due to the collision of at least one asteroid with a Saturn moon, rock material was thrown into orbit. Since the gravity of Saturn has a much stronger effect than that of its moons, it draws the rock ever closer to its atmosphere. The other scenario is based on a collision with Saturn itself, as a result of which the rock material entered the orbital zone.
In the long run, the rings are probably not preserved. The attraction of Saturn makes the particles rotate around his body, but draws them closer and closer to each other before they burn up in their atmosphere or even become part of the planet itself.

The moons of Saturn

62 moons circle Saturn, of which 53 are now officially named after mythological figures: Aegaeon, Aegir, Albiorix, Anthe, Atlas, Bebhionn, Bergelmir, Bestla, Calypso, Daphnis, Dione, Enceladus, Epimetheus, Erriapus, Farbauti, Fenrir, Fornjot, Greip Hati, Helene, Hyperion, Hyrrokkin, Iapetus, Ijiraq, Janus, Jarnsaxa, Kari, Kiviuq, Loge, Methone, Mimas, Mundilfari, Narvi, Paaliaq, Pallene, Pan, Pandora, Phoebe, Polydeuces, Prometheus, Rhea, Siarnaq, Skathi , Skoll, Surtur, Suttungr, Tarqeq, Tarvos, Telesto, Tethys, Thrymr, Titan and Ymir.'

Titan, the largest and most massive moon of Saturn, is also one of the most interesting celestial bodies in the solar system from an astronomical point of view. At 5150 km in diameter, Titan even surpasses the size of Mercury. What makes this moon so interesting that the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft took the long journey is its similarity to Earth. The Titan is the only object in the solar system with a dense atmosphere that would be comparable to the Earth's atmosphere. The main component is - as on Earth - nitrogen. Furthermore, one suspects inside the moon a liquid ocean. Enough evidence for NASA to send in 1997 a double spacecraft. The primary goal of the mission was actually the exploration of Saturn, but Cassini-Huygens had been designed so that Huygens decoupled from Cassini and should land on the Titan. The mission is a great success today. Cassini is scheduled to orbit until 2017 in Saturn and send more data to Earth.

Summary

Saturn is the sixth planet in the solar system and is thus between Jupiter and Uranus. The unmistakable distinguishing feature is the ring system around the planet.

More than 100,000 small rings of rock particles and ice form the ring system. The material probably comes from at least one impact of an asteroid on Saturn or one of its moons.

62 moons orbit Saturn. Titan, by far the largest moon, is one of the most earth-like objects in the solar system.