SOLAR SYSTEM

Saturn the ringed planet

Saturn is the sixth of nine planets in our solar system and is one of the outer "gas giant" planets. It is not believed to have a solid surface.

Saturn 4K pan-zoom image

Pan, zoom, or go full-screen with this megapixel image of Saturn.

Pan - Zoom - Fullscreen

Original image: NASA/JPL

Saturn facts

CHARACTERISTIC	VALUE
Magnitude:	0.67
Mass:	5.69 x 10²⁶ kg
Radius:	60,268 km
Density:	0.69 gm/cm³
Distance from Sun:	1.43 billion km
Rotational period:	10.7 hours
Orbital period:	29.46
Orbital velocity:	9.67 km/sec
Eccentricity of orbit:	0.056
Tilt of axis:	25.3 °
Inclination of orbit:	2.49 °
Surface gravity:	9.05 m/sec²
Escape velocity:	35.5 km/sec
Albedo:	0.47
Temperature (at 1 bar):	-139°C mean
Atmosphere:	H₂ = 96% He = 3.25% CH₄ = 0.45%
Moons:	145

Saturn cloud features

Saturn has no solid surface, so only atmospheric features such as light cloud zones and dark belts are visible. Once every year, a short-lived storm called the Great White Spot is visible.

Saturn poles

Both poles of Saturn have intense long-lived cyclone storms. The north pole also features the Hexagon, which is a unique standing-wave cloud pattern.

Rings of Saturn

Saturn has a large, complex, and visually stunning ring system comprised of rings, ring arcs, and gaps. A number of moons play a role in either shepherding/constraining rings (shepherd moons) or in providing source material for moons (ring maker moons).

NAME	DISTANCE	SHEPHERD/MAKER MOON
D ring	66,900-74,510	-
C Ring	74,658-92,000	-
B Ring	92,000-117,580	-
A Ring	122,170-136,775	Atlas
Encke Gap	inside A Ring	Pan
Keeler Gap	inside A Ring	Daphnis
F Ring	140,180	Prometheus, Pandora
Janus/Epimetheus Ring	149,000-154,000	Janus, Epimetheus
G Ring	166,000-175,000	Aegaeon
Methone Ring Arc	194,230	Methone
Anthe Ring Arc	197,665	Anthe
Pallene Ring	211,000-213,500	Pallene
E Ring	180,000-480,000	Enceladus
Phoebe Ring	4,000,000 - 13,000,000	Phoebe

Largest moons of Saturn (6 out of 145 shown)

Saturn has 145 known moons, with Titan being the largest. The largest six moons are shown, all of which can be seen through a telescope. For information on all 145 moons, see Moons of Saturn. In addition, there are thousands of small "propeller" moonlets believed to be embedded in the A ring.