The starry sky has always attracted with its beauty romantics, poets, artists and lovers. Since time immemorial, people have admired the scattering of stars and attributed special magical properties to them.
Ancient astrologers, for example, managed to draw a parallel between the date of birth of a person and the star that shone brightly at that moment. It was believed that it can affect not only the totality of the character traits of the newborn, but also on his entire future fate. Observing the stars helped farmers determine the best date for sowing and harvesting. We can say that much in the life of ancient people was subject to the influence of stars and planets, therefore it is not surprising that humanity has been trying for centuries to study the planets closest to Earth.
Many of them are pretty well studied at the moment, but some can bring a lot of surprises to scientists. To such planets, astronomers, first of all, include Saturn. A description of this gas giant can be found in any astronomy textbook. However, scientists themselves believe that this is one of the most poorly studied planets, all of the mysteries and secrets of which mankind is not yet able to list.
Today you will receive the most detailed information about Saturn. The mass of the gas giant, its size, description and comparative characteristics with the Earth - all this you can learn from this article. Perhaps you will hear some facts for the first time, but something will seem to you simply unbelievable.
Ancient Views of Saturn
Our ancestors could not accurately calculate the mass of Saturn and give it a characteristic, but they definitely understood how magnificent this planet was and even worshiped it. Historians believe that Saturn, which belongs to one of the five planets that are clearly distinguishable from the Earth with the naked eye, has been known to people for a very long time. It received its name in honor of the god of fertility and agriculture. This deity was highly revered among the Greeks and Romans, but later on the attitude towards him slightly changed.
The fact is that the Greeks began to associate Saturn with Kronos. This titanium was very bloodthirsty and even devoured his own children. Therefore, he was treated without due respect and with some concern. But the Romans greatly respected Saturn and even considered him a god who gave humanity many of the necessary knowledge for life. It was the god of agriculture who taught ignorant people to cultivate fields, build housing and preserve the grown crops until next year. In gratitude to Saturn, the Romans arranged real holidays lasting several days. During this period, even slaves could forget about their miserable position and fully feel that they were free people.
It is noteworthy that in many ancient cultures, Saturn, the characterization of which scientists could only give after millennia, was associated with powerful deities who confidently control the destinies of people in many worlds. Modern historians often think that ancient civilizations could know more about this giant planet than we do today. Perhaps other knowledge was available to them and we only have to, having thrown back the dry statistics, to penetrate the secrets of Saturn.
Brief description of the planet
In a few words, telling which planet Saturn is actually quite difficult. Therefore, in the current section, we will give the reader all the known data that will help to make up some idea of this amazing celestial body.
Saturn is the sixth planet of our native solar system. Since it is mainly composed of gases, it is referred to as gas giants. The closest "relative" of Saturn is usually called Jupiter, but besides him, you can also add Uranus and Neptune to this group. It is noteworthy that all gas planets can be proud of their rings, but only Saturn has them in such numbers that it makes it possible to discern its magnificent "belt" even from Earth. Modern astronomers rightly consider it the most beautiful and bewitching planet. After all, the rings of Saturn (of which this splendor consists, we will tell in one of the following sections of the article) almost constantly change their color and each time their photo surprises with new shades. Therefore, the gas giant is one of the most recognizable among the rest of the planets.
The mass of Saturn (5.68 × 10 26 kg) is extremely large compared to the Earth, we will talk about this a little later. But the diameter of the planet, which, according to the latest data, is more than one hundred and twenty thousand kilometers, confidently puts it in second place in the solar system. Only Jupiter, the leader in this list, can argue with Saturn.
The gas giant has its own atmosphere, magnetic fields and a huge number of satellites, which were gradually discovered by astronomers. Interestingly, the density of the planet is noticeably lower than the density of water. Therefore, if your imagination allows you to imagine a huge pool filled with water, then rest assured that Saturn will not drown in it. Like a huge inflatable ball, it will slowly glide over the surface.
The origin of the gas giant
Despite the fact that Saturn's research on spacecraft has been actively conducted over the past decades, scientists still can not confidently say how the planet formed. To date, two main hypotheses have been put forward, which have their followers and opponents.
The sun and Saturn are often compared in composition. Indeed, there is a large concentration of hydrogen in them, which allowed some scientists to hypothesize that our star and the planets of the solar system formed almost at the same time. Massive gas accumulations became the founders of Saturn and the Sun. However, none of the supporters of this theory can explain why, from the source material, if I may say so, in one case a planet was formed, and in another - a star. No one can give a worthy explanation to the differences in their composition either.
According to the second hypothesis, the formation of Saturn lasted hundreds of millions of years. Initially, the formation of solid particles, which gradually reached the mass of our Earth. However, at some point, the planet lost a large amount of gas, and at the second stage, it actively increased it from outer space by gravity.
Scientists hope that in the future they will be able to discover the secret of the formation of Saturn, but before that they still have many decades of waiting. Indeed, only the Cassini apparatus, which had been operating in its orbit for a long thirteen years, managed to get as close to the planet as possible. This fall, he completed his mission by collecting a huge amount of data for observers that has yet to be processed.
Planet orbit
Almost one and a half billion kilometers separate Saturn and the Sun, so not so much light and heat is received from our main luminary. It is noteworthy that the gas giant revolves around the Sun in a slightly elongated orbit. However, in recent years, scientists have argued that almost all planets do this. Saturn makes a complete revolution in almost thirty years.
Around its axis, the planet spins extremely fast; it takes about ten earth hours to rotate. If we lived on Saturn, it would have lasted so much a day. It is interesting that scientists tried to calculate the complete revolution of the planet around its axis several times. During this time, an error of about six minutes arose; in the framework of science, it is considered quite impressive. Some scientists associate it with the inaccuracy of instruments, while others claim that over many years our native Earth began to rotate more slowly, which allowed the formation of errors.
Planet structure
Since the size of Saturn is often compared with Jupiter, it is not surprising that the structures of these planets are very similar to each other. Scientists conditionally divide the gas giant into three layers, the center of which is the rocky core. It has a high density and is at least ten times more massive than the earth’s core. The second layer where it is located is liquid metal hydrogen. Its thickness is approximately fourteen and a half thousand kilometers. The outer layer of the planet is molecular hydrogen, the thickness of this layer is measured in eighteen and a half thousand kilometers.
Scientists, studying the planet, found out one interesting fact - it emits two and a half times more radiation into outer space than it receives from the star. They tried to find a specific explanation for this phenomenon by drawing a parallel with Jupiter. However, until now this remains another mystery of the planet, because the size of Saturn is smaller than its "brother", radiating much more modest amounts of radiation into the outside world. Therefore, to date, a similar activity of the planet is explained by the friction of helium flows. But how viable this theory is, scientists can not say.
Planet Saturn: composition of the atmosphere
If you observe the planet through a telescope, it becomes noticeable that the color of Saturn has several muted pale orange hues. On its surface, stripe-shaped formations can often be noted, which often form in bizarre forms. However, they are not static and quickly transform.
When we talk about gaseous planets, it’s quite difficult for the reader to understand how it is possible to determine the difference between a conventional surface and the atmosphere. Scientists also faced a similar problem, because it was decided to determine a certain reference point. It is in it that the temperature begins to drop, here astronomers draw an invisible boundary.
Saturn’s atmosphere is almost ninety-six percent hydrogen. Of the constituent gases, helium is also worth mentioning; it is present in an amount of three percent. The remaining one percent is divided between ammonia, methane and other substances. For all living organisms we know, the atmosphere of the planet is fatal.
The thickness of the atmospheric layer is close to sixty kilometers. Surprisingly, Saturn, like Jupiter, is often referred to as the "planet of storms." Of course, by the standards of Jupiter they are insignificant. But for earthlings, the wind at almost two thousand kilometers per hour will seem like a real end of the world. Similar storms occur on Saturn quite often, sometimes scientists notice in the atmosphere formations resembling our hurricanes. With a telescope, they look like vast white spots, with hurricanes forming extremely rarely. Therefore, observing them is considered a great success for astronomers.
Rings of Saturn
The color of Saturn and its rings is approximately the same, although this "belt" sets a huge number of tasks for scientists that they are not yet able to solve. It is especially difficult to answer questions about the origin and age of this magnificence. To date, the scientific community has put forward several hypotheses on this topic, which no one can prove or refute.
First of all, many young astronomers are interested in what the rings of Saturn are made of. Scientists can answer this question quite accurately. The structure of the rings is very heterogeneous, it represents billions of particles that move with great speed. The diameter of these particles ranges from one centimeter to ten meters. They consist of ninety-eight percent of the ice. The remaining two percent are represented by various impurities.
Despite the impressive picture that the rings of Saturn represent, they are very subtle. Their thickness on average does not even reach a kilometer, while the diameter reaches two hundred and fifty thousand kilometers.
For simplicity, the rings of the planet are usually called one of the letters of the Latin alphabet, the three rings are considered the most noticeable. But the most striking and beautiful is considered to be the second.
Ring formation: theories and hypotheses
Since ancient times, people puzzled over how exactly the rings of Saturn were formed. Initially, a theory was put forward about the simultaneous formation of the planet and its rings. However, later this version was disproved, because scientists were struck by the purity of ice, of which Saturn's “belt” consists. If the rings had the same age with the planet, then their particles would be covered with a layer that can be compared with dirt. Since this did not happen, the scientific community had to look for other explanations.
The theory of the exploded satellite of Saturn is considered traditional. According to this statement, approximately four billion years ago, one of the satellites of the planet came too close to it. According to scientists, its diameter could reach three hundred kilometers. Under the influence of tidal force, it was torn into billions of particles, forming the rings of Saturn. Also considered is the version of the collision of two satellites. Such a theory seems most plausible, but recent data make it possible to determine the age of the rings as one hundred million years.
Surprisingly, the particles of the rings constantly collide with each other, form into new formations and thereby complicate their study. Modern scientists can not yet reveal the secret of the formation of the "belt" of Saturn, which has expanded the list of mysteries of this planet.
Saturn's moon
The gas giant has a huge number of satellites. Around it rotates forty percent of all known satellites of the solar system. To date, sixty-three moons of Saturn have been discovered, while many of them present no less surprises than the planet itself.
The size of the satellites ranges from three hundred kilometers to more than five thousand kilometers in diameter. The easiest way for astronomers to discover large moons, most of them were able to describe in the late eighties of the eighteenth century. It was then that Titan, Rhea, Enceladus and Iapetus were discovered. These moons are still very interested in scientists and are closely studied by them.
Interestingly, all satellites of Saturn are very different from each other. What unites them is the fact that they are always turned to the planet with only one side and rotate almost synchronously. Of greatest interest to astronomers are three moons:
Titanium is the second largest in the solar system. It is not surprising that it is second only to one of the moons of Jupiter. The diameter of the Titan is half as large as that of the Moon, and the size is comparable to Mercury and even exceeds it. Interestingly, the composition of this giant satellite of Saturn contributed to the formation of the atmosphere. In addition, there is a liquid on it, which puts Titan on a par with the Earth. Some scientists even suggest that there may be some kind of life on the surface of the satellite. Of course, it will be significantly different from the earth, because the atmosphere of Titan consists of nitrogen, methane and ethane, and on its surface you can see the lakes of methane and islands with a bizarre relief formed by liquid nitrogen.
Enceladus is no less amazing satellite of Saturn. Scientists call it the lightest celestial body in the solar system because of its surface completely covered with ice crust. Scientists are sure that under this thickness of ice lies a real ocean in which living organisms may well exist.
Rhea surprised astronomers not so long ago. After numerous shots, they managed to make out a few thin rings around her. It’s too early to talk about their composition and size, but this discovery was shocking, because it was not even previously assumed that rings could rotate around the satellite.
Saturn and the Earth: a comparative analysis of these two planets
Comparison of Saturn and the Earth, scientists conduct infrequently. These celestial bodies are too different to compare them with each other. But today we decided to expand the horizons of the reader a little and still take a fresh look at these planets. Is there something in common between them?
First of all, it comes to mind to compare the mass of Saturn and the Earth, this difference will be incredible: the gas giant is ninety-five times bigger than our planet. In size, it exceeds the Earth by nine and a half times. Therefore, in its volume, our planet can fit more than seven hundred times.
Interestingly, the gravity on Saturn will be ninety-two percent of gravity. If we assume that a person weighing one hundred kilograms will be transferred to Saturn, then his weight will decrease to ninety-two kilograms.
Every student knows that the earth's axis has a certain angle of inclination relative to the sun. This allows the seasons to succeed each other, and people to enjoy all the beauties of nature. Surprisingly, the axis of Saturn has a similar slope. Therefore, on the planet, you can also observe the change of seasons. .
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Studying the gas giant, which is Saturn, is the process that puzzled scientists from all over the world. More than once they sent probes and various devices to him. Since the last mission was completed this year, the next one is planned only for 2020. However, now no one can say whether it will take place. For several years, negotiations have been ongoing on Russia's participation in this large-scale project. According to preliminary calculations, the new device will need about nine years to get into the orbit of Saturn, and another four years to study the planet and its largest satellite. Based on the foregoing, we can be sure that the disclosure of all the secrets of the planet of storms is a matter of the future. Perhaps you, our readers today, will also take part in this.