The Ringed Marvel By Couldbe Anybody Per. 1 Saturn Facts: Distance from Sun: 856 million miles Size compared to Earth: Density: 0.6 g/cubic centimeter (would float in water!) Composition: 97% Hydrogen, 3% Helium Orbital Year: 29.5 years Period of Rotation: 10 hours 39 minutes Planetary Symbol A ring Thin outer C ring B ring Mainly ice and Small particles Saturn's atmosphere is almost entirely hydrogen and helium. Voyager 1 found that about 7 percent of the volume of Saturn's upper atmosphere is helium (compared with 11 percent of Jupiter's atmosphere), while almost all the rest is hydrogen. These are just five of Saturn’s 40 or more moons Voyager 1 carried the “Golden Record” of what life on Earth is like First visited by Pioneer 11 in early 1979, Voyager 1 and 2: Fly-by Saturn in 1979 and 1980 Winds blow at high speeds in Saturn. Near the equator, the Voyagers measured winds about 500 meters a second (1,100 miles an hour). The wind blows mostly in an easterly direction. Strongest winds are found near the equator, and velocity falls off uniformly at higher latitudes. At latitudes greater than 35 degrees, winds alternate east and west as latitude increases. No solid surface to stand on (it’s a gas planet!) Very cold Very windy Very short days Long years Little usable sunshine No breathable atmosphere Signal takes to reach Earth (conversation with Earthlings difficult!) 2008: European Space Agency probe Cassini-Huygens will closely monitor Saturn’s moon Titan How does Saturn generate its internal heat? What are the "spokes" in the rings? What is the origin of the rings? http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/index.html http://spacephysics.ucr.edu/index.php?conte nt-=solar_wind/cc/cbastille.html http://www.solarviews.com/browse/pia/PIA 08361.jpg http://www.nineplanets.org/saturn.html http://www.kidzone.ws/planets/saturn.htm