Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest planet in the solar system, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant with an average radius of nine and a half times that of Earth. It only has one-eight the average density of Earth; however, with its larger volume, Saturn is over 95 times more massive. Saturn is 890.8 miles away from the Sun and days on Saturn are only 10 hours and 42 minutes compared to Earth’s 24 hours. However, one single orbit of Saturn takes 29 years compared to Earth’s 365 days (1 year). Saturn’s surface area is 16.49 billion square miles and has a radius of 36,184 miles compared to Earth’s surface area of 196.9 square miles and radius of 3,958.8 miles.
As you already know, Earth has 1 moon, which has the name of Moon, which is also why we call other planets’ moons their Moon. However, most other planets have more than 1 moon including Saturn which has 82 moons. However, only 53 are confirmed. The other 29 are waiting for confirmation of discovery and a name. Saturn’s moons range in size from larger than the planet Mercury, its giant moon Titan, hence the name, to as small as a sport’s arena. The moon’s shape contributes and also collects material from Saturn’s rings and magnetosphere. In 1655, the first of Saturn’s moons were discovered by Christiaan Huygens and that was Saturn’s most well-known and largest moon, Titan. The next four discoveries were made by Jean-Dominique Cassini and they were Lapetus (1671), Rhea (1672), Dione (1684), and Tethys (1684). Mimas and Enceladus are also both well-known moons and were discovered by William Herschel in 1789.
Scientists think that Saturn’s system may have originally housed two such moons like Titan, but the second broke up, creating the debris that formed the rings and smaller, inner moons. Another theory suggests that the system originally housed several large moons, similar to Jupiter’s Galilean Moons, but two fused into Titan. The violent collision could have scattered the debris that would have later drawn together into the smaller moons. Some of the moons even travel inside the gaps of the rings, clearing paths through the debris. Others orbit farther out. Several of the moons interact with one another, with their orbits moving in resonance with each other. Larger moons may trap smaller moons, keeping them nearby. Sixteen of the moons are tidally locked, with one face permanently turned toward Saturn.
Titan is the largest of Saturn's moons and the first to be discovered. Titan is the only moon in the solar system known to have a significant atmosphere. Nitrogen and methane extend around the moon 10 times as far into space as Earth's atmosphere, sometimes falling to the surface in the form of methane rain. This atmosphere makes it one of the best potential candidates for hosting life. Titan is larger than the planet Mercury, though not nearly as massive. It hosts many hydrocarbon-filled lakes as well as extremely tall mountains, with the largest one rising to nearly 11,000 feet. This moon is the only one to have a landing craft arrive on its surface when the Cassini mission sent the Huygens lander there in 2005.
The list of confirmed moons that orbit Saturn include Aegaeon, Aegir, Albiorix, Anthe, Atlas, Bebhionn, Bergelmir, Bestla, Calypso, Daphnis, Dione, Enceladus, Epimetheus, Erriapus, Farbauti, Fenrir, Fornjot, Greip, Hati, Helene, Hyperion, Hyrrokkin, Iapetus, Ijiraq, Janus, Jarnsaxa, Kari, Kiviuq, Loge, Methone, Mimas, Mundilfari, Narvi, Paaliaq, Pallene, Pan, Pandora, Phoebe, Polydeuces, Prometheus, Rhea, Siarnaq, Skathi, Skoll, Surtur, Suttungr, Tarqeq, Tarvos, Telesto, Tethys, Thrymr, Titan, and Ymir. The list of unconfirmed moons that orbit Saturn include: S/2004 S12, S/2004 S13, S/2004 S17, S/2004 S20, S/2004 S21, S/2004 S22, S/2004 S23, S/2004 S24, S/2004 S25, S/2004 S26, S/2004 S27, S/2004 S28, S/2004 S29, S/2004 S30, S/2004 S7, S/2004 XXX (S5593a2), S/2004 XXX (S5605a2), S/2004 XXX (S5613a2), S/2004 XXX (S5801a2), S/2004 XXX (S64454x), S/2004 XXX (S64452), S/2004 XXX (S8568a), S/2004 XXX (T514042), S/2004 XXX (T522499), S/2006 S1, S/2006 S3, S/2007 S2, S/2007 S3, and S/2009 S1.
Overall, Saturn is an amazing planet that is massive in respect to Earth. Although it is not habitable, possible for us to live there, it is quite amazing to think what it would be like to stand on a planet that massive if there is one out there. Some other cool facts about Saturn are that it is the farthest out planet that can be seen with the naked eye and also happens to be the flattest of the planets in the Galaxy. Saturn was a planet known to the ancients such as the Babylonians and Far East Observers. Saturn’s upper atmosphere is divided into bands of clouds. Although it may be interesting to see what it would be like to stand on a planet the size of Saturn, it is actually mostly gas so you couldn’t physically stand on it. It also happens to be very windy on Saturn. Saturn is a marvelous planet and it is amazing how many moons orbit it as well as all the theories of its moons and its rings.
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By: Zubin Sidhu
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References:
Tillman, Nola Taylor. “Saturn’s Moons: Facts About the Ringed Planet’s Satellites.” Space.Com, 30 June 2016, www.space.com/20812-saturn-moons.html.
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