Astronomy 105: Chapter 12: Saturn

What is Saturn's mass?

5.7X10^26 kg 1/3 the mass of Jupiter

What is Saturn's Density?

700 kg/m^3

What is Saturn's physical properties?

Saturn is a gas giant made up mostly of hydrogen and helium. Saturn is big enough to hold more than 760 Earths, and is more massive than any other planet except Jupiter, roughly 95 times Earth's mass.

What is Saturn's atmospheric composition?

Saturn is made up predominantly of hydrogen, which it captured in the early stages of its formation. Most of the remaining composition is helium. Other elements, such as methane and ammonia, are found in small doses. Nitrogen and oxygen also mix within the atmosphere

What are Saturn's orbital properties?

Saturn was the outermost planet known to ancient astronomers. Named after the father of Jupiter in Greek and Roman mythology, Saturn orbits the Sun at almost twice the distance of Jupiter, with an orbital semi-major axis of 9.54 A.U. (1430 million km) and an orbital eccentricity of 0.06.

What is the Roche Limit?

The Roche limit is the minimum distance to which a large satellite can approach its primary body without being torn apart by tidal forces. If satellite and primary are of similar composition, the theoretical limit is about 2 1/2 times the radius of the larger body.

What is the structure and composition of Saturn's Rings?

The rings of Saturn are the most extensive planetary ring system of any planet in the Solar System. They consist of countless small particles, ranging from μm to m in size, that orbit about Saturn. The ring particles are made almost entirely of water ice, with a trace component of rocky material. Saturn's rings are made up of billions of particles ranging from grains of sand to mountain-size chunks. Composed predominantly of water-ice, the rings also draw in rocky meteoroids as they travel through space. The rings are named alphabetically in the order of discovery. Thus the main rings are, from farthest from the planet to closest, A, B and C. A gap 2,920 miles wide (4,700 kilometers), known as the Cassini Division, separates the A and B rings.

What is Saturn's Ring System?

They are very thin (about 200,00km in diameter)

What is the interior of Saturn?

Under the cloud layers, when the pressure of the interior becomes high enough, the hydrogen of which Saturn is made changes to liquid hydrogen, which gradually changes further to liquid metallic hydrogen. Compared to Jupiter, Saturn does not have as much metallic hydrogen, but there is more ice.