<span class="SFPTagline"> From SCIFIPEDIA </span>

For other uses see Saturn (disambiguation)

Saturn is the sixth planet from the sun and the second largest in the solar system after Jupiter. The planet is readily identified by its seven thin, flat rings composed of ice particles and numerous narrow ringlets. Jupiter, Neptune, and Uranus also have rings but they are not as prominent. The planet got it's name from the Roman god of agriculture.

At its farthest point, Saturn is 41,070,000 miles (1,514,500,000 kilometers) from the sun. The planet takes about 10,759 Earth days, or about 29 1/2 Earth years, to make a full orbit of the sun.

Saturn, like Jupiter and Neptune is gas giant with no solid surface. However, the planet is believed to have a hot solid inner core of iron and rocky material. The atmosphere of the planet is comprised mainly of hydrogen and helium. Saturn's outer atmosphere is much colder than Earth's due to its distance from the sun. It's upper clouds average -285 degrees F (-175 degrees C). Lower in the atmosphere temperatures are higher sue to energy generated by he sinking of helium slowly through the liquid hydrogen in the planet's interior. Saturn is the least dense of all the planets in the system but has a mass second only Jupiter.

Contents 1 Satellites 2 Fiction 3 Paranormal 4 External Links

Satellites

Saturn has 25 natural satellites that measure at least 6 miles (10 kilometers) in diameter. It's largest moon is Titan, one of the few satellites in the system with an atmosphere. Titan's atmosphere is mainly comprised of Nitrogen. Other notable moons include Hyperion, Tethys, and Dione.

Fiction

Perhaps understandably, Saturn has not appeared as often in sci fi as Mars or Venus. However, Buck Rogers visited the planet in the 1939 serial. The movie Saturn 3 took place nearby, as did Silent Running. The Incredible Melting Man got that way after a trip to the rings.

Paranormal

Contactee George Adamski met with people from Saturn, among other planets. In the 2000s, and with a very different feel, Norman Bergrun wrote about Ringmakers of Saturn, about the evidence for artificial craft near Saturn's rings.

External Links

• Saturn at NASA