Saturn | Facts, Size, Temperature, Atmosphere, Color, Rings, & Moons

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border-right-sm border-left-sm open"> <div class="drawer d-flex flex-column open"> <div class="left-rail-section-content"> <div class="topic-left-rail-header text-truncate bg-gray-50 position-relative text-right d-flex align-items-center"> <div class="tlr-title px-20 py-15 text-left"> <em class="material-icons text-gray-400 d-lg-none" data-icon="toc"></em> <a class="font-serif font-weight-bold text-black link-blue" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Saturn-planet">Saturn</a> </div> <button aria-label="Close" class="js-sections-close-button btn-link btn-sm btn d-lg-none position-absolute top-0 p-10 right-0" > <em class="material-icons font-26" data-icon="close"></em> </button> </div> <div class="section-content pl-10 pr-20 pl-sm-50 pr-sm-60 pl-lg-5 pr-lg-10 pt-10 pt-lg-0 bg-gray-50 clear-catfish-ad"> <div class="toc mb-20"> <div class="font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-15 mb-15 mt-20"> Table of Contents </div> <ul class="list-unstyled my-0" data-level="h1"><li data-target="#ref1"><div class="pl-25"><a class="link-gray-900 w-100" href="/place/Saturn-planet">Introduction & Top Questions</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref54278"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Saturn-planet#ref54278">Basic astronomical data</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref54279"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Saturn-planet/The-atmosphere">The atmosphere</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref298253"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Saturn-planet/The-atmosphere#ref298253">Composition and structure</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref298254"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Saturn-planet/The-atmosphere#ref298254">Dynamics</a></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref54281"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Saturn-planet/The-magnetic-field-and-magnetosphere">The magnetic field and magnetosphere</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref54280"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Saturn-planet/The-interior">The interior</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref54282"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Saturn-planet/Saturns-rings-and-moons">Saturn’s rings and moons</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref54286"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Saturn-planet/The-ring-system">The ring system</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref54283"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Saturn-planet/Moons">Moons</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref253150"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Saturn-planet/Moons#ref253150">Significant satellites</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref253151"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Saturn-planet/Orbital-and-rotational-dynamics">Orbital and rotational dynamics</a></li></ul></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref54287"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Saturn-planet/Orbital-and-rotational-dynamics#ref54287">Observations from Earth</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref253198"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Saturn-planet/Spacecraft-exploration">Spacecraft exploration</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li></ul> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Saturn-planet/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/facts/Saturn-planet">Related Topics</a> </div> <div class="tlr-media-slider pb-10 mb-30"> <a class="section-header link-gray-900 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mb-10 mx-10" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Saturn-planet/images-videos">Images, Videos & Interactives</a> <div 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data-href="/media/1/525169/17713" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/67/21167-004-6B1CF05E/Saturn-storm-Earth-region-observations-image-Hubble-December-1-1994.jpg" alt="Saturn" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/81/145481-050-F73198DB/Image-Saturn-radio-occultation-observation-planet-Cassini-2005.jpg" data-href="/media/1/525169/155670" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/81/145481-004-354D226E/Image-Saturn-radio-occultation-observation-planet-Cassini-2005.jpg" alt="Cassini: Saturn" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/66/91966-004-377C0F3C/rings-Details-Saturn-spacecraft-images-composite-Cassini-December-12-2004.jpg" data-href="/media/1/525169/88396" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/66/91966-004-377C0F3C/rings-Details-Saturn-spacecraft-images-composite-Cassini-December-12-2004.jpg" alt="Saturn's three main rings" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/80/145480-050-24BF0658/image-Hubble-Space-Telescope-Saturn-moons-shadow.jpg" data-href="/media/1/525169/155669" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/80/145480-004-25D44084/image-Hubble-Space-Telescope-Saturn-moons-shadow.jpg" alt="Hubble Space Telescope: Saturn and moons" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/03/96603-050-CD67246C/view-moon-Titan-Saturn-Cassini-orbiter-Feb-15-2005.jpg" data-href="/media/1/525169/97497" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/03/96603-004-4286BF16/view-moon-Titan-Saturn-Cassini-orbiter-Feb-15-2005.jpg" alt="Saturn: Titan" height="50" /> </a> <a 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Consulting Professor, Geological Sciences, Stanford University.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> Mark Marley</span>, <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 qa-editor-popup gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor" href="/contributor/William-B-Hubbard/3949" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">William B. Hubbard</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 clamp-description text-black">Professor of Planetary Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson. Author of <i>Planetary Interiors.</i></div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> William B. 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They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link font-12 "> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <span class="text-gray-700"> Last Updated: <time datetime="2025-02-27T00:00:00CST" >Feb 27, 2025</time> •</span> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Saturn-planet/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn btn-sm border-2 btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 module-spacing js-inline-ai-ask-button p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot </button> </div> <script type="application/ld+json"> { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type" : "Question", "name" : "<div>Who first observed Saturn with a telescope?<\/div><em><\/em>", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "The Italian astronomer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Galileo-Galilei\">Galileo<\/a> in 1610 was the first to observe Saturn with a telescope. Although he saw a strangeness in Saturn\u2019s appearance, the low resolution of his instrument did not allow him to discern the true nature of the planet\u2019s rings." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : "<div>How far is Saturn from Earth?<\/div><em><\/em>", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Saturn orbits the Sun at a mean distance of 1,427,000,000 km (887 million miles). Its closest distance to Earth is about 1.2 billion km (746 million miles), and its phase angle\u2014the angle that it makes with the Sun and Earth\u2014never exceeds about 6\u00B0. Saturn, seen from the vicinity of Earth, thus always appears nearly fully illuminated." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : "<div>What feature is Saturn known for? <\/div><em><\/em>", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Saturn is surrounded by a ring system. The entire ring system spans nearly 26,000,000 km (16,000,000 miles) when the faint outer rings are included. When viewed through even a small telescope, the planet encircled by its magnificent rings is arguably the most sublime object in the solar system." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : "<div>What is Saturn\u2019s largest moon?<\/div><em><\/em>", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "<a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Titan-astronomy\">Titan<\/a> is Saturn\u2019s largest moon and the only moon in the solar system known to have clouds, a dense atmosphere, and liquid lakes. The diameter of its solid body is 5,150 km (3,200 miles) making it the second-largest moon in the solar system. It was discovered telescopically in 1655 by the Dutch scientist Christiaan Huygen." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : "<div>Is Saturn light enough to float?<\/div><em><\/em>", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Saturn has the lowest mean density\u2014about 70 percent that of water\u2014of any known object in the solar system. Hypothetically, Saturn would float in an ocean large enough to hold it." } } ] } </script> <div class="top-questions qa-accordion d-flex flex-column module-spacing"><div class="font-weight-bold font-14 mb-5"> Top Questions </div><div id="intent-accordion" class="md-intent-accordion"><div class="top-question bg-gray-50 rounded" data-value="1"><h3 class="accordion--question font-14 font-weight-normal cursor-pointer rounded"><div class="pe-none d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center"><div>Who first observed Saturn with a telescope?</div><em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></em></div></h3><div class="accordion--answer hidden p-15 pt-5 font-16 mb-5"><div class="accordion--answer-copy"><p>The Italian astronomer <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Galileo-Galilei" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Galileo</a> in 1610 was the first to observe Saturn with a telescope. Although he saw a strangeness in Saturn’s appearance, the low resolution of his instrument did not allow him to discern the true nature of the planet’s rings.</p></div></div></div><div class="top-question bg-gray-50 rounded" data-value="2"><h3 class="accordion--question font-14 font-weight-normal cursor-pointer rounded"><div class="pe-none d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center"><div>How far is Saturn from Earth?</div><em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></em></div></h3><div class="accordion--answer hidden p-15 pt-5 font-16 mb-5"><div class="accordion--answer-copy"><p>Saturn orbits the Sun at a mean distance of 1,427,000,000 km (887 million miles). Its closest distance to Earth is about 1.2 billion km (746 million miles), and its phase angle—the angle that it makes with the Sun and Earth—never exceeds about 6°. Saturn, seen from the vicinity of Earth, thus always appears nearly fully illuminated.</p></div></div></div><div class="top-question bg-gray-50 rounded" data-value="3"><h3 class="accordion--question font-14 font-weight-normal cursor-pointer rounded"><div class="pe-none d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center"><div>What feature is Saturn known for? </div><em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></em></div></h3><div class="accordion--answer hidden p-15 pt-5 font-16 mb-5"><div class="accordion--answer-copy"><p>Saturn is surrounded by a ring system. The entire ring system spans nearly 26,000,000 km (16,000,000 miles) when the faint outer rings are included. When viewed through even a small telescope, the planet encircled by its magnificent rings is arguably the most sublime object in the solar system.</p></div></div></div><div class="top-question bg-gray-50 rounded" data-value="4"><h3 class="accordion--question font-14 font-weight-normal cursor-pointer rounded"><div class="pe-none d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center"><div>What is Saturn’s largest moon?</div><em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></em></div></h3><div class="accordion--answer hidden p-15 pt-5 font-16 mb-5"><div class="accordion--answer-copy"><p><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Titan-astronomy" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Titan</a> is Saturn’s largest moon and the only moon in the solar system known to have clouds, a dense atmosphere, and liquid lakes. The diameter of its solid body is 5,150 km (3,200 miles) making it the second-largest moon in the solar system. It was discovered telescopically in 1655 by the Dutch scientist Christiaan Huygen.</p></div></div></div><div class="top-question bg-gray-50 rounded" data-value="5"><h3 class="accordion--question font-14 font-weight-normal cursor-pointer rounded"><div class="pe-none d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center"><div>Is Saturn light enough to float?</div><em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></em></div></h3><div class="accordion--answer hidden p-15 pt-5 font-16 mb-5"><div class="accordion--answer-copy"><p>Saturn has the lowest mean density—about 70 percent that of water—of any known object in the solar system. Hypothetically, Saturn would float in an ocean large enough to hold it.</p></div></div></div><button class="show-more-button js-toggle-top-questions btn btn-unstyled font-14 d-flex pr-10 rounded-sm"><em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></em></button></div></div><div class="bg-gray-50 p-15 rounded module-spacing recent-news d-flex flex-column float-false"> <div> <h2 class="font-weight-bold font-14 m-0 d-inline"> News <span class="text-gray-600">•</span> </h2> <div class="recent-news-item first-recent-news-item d-inline"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="https://www.npr.org/2025/02/27/nx-s1-5308606/planet-parade-sky-february" rel="nofollow">A rare ‘parade’ of all 7 planets will move across the night sky this week</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Feb. 26, 2025, 8:40 PM ET (NPR) <button class="btn btn-link d-inline p-0 font-12 js-toggle-recent-news"> <span class="text-gray-500">...</span><span>(Show more)</span> </button> </span> </div> </div> <div class="rest-of-recent-news-items"> <div class="recent-news-item mt-5"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="https://www.bbc.com/pidgin/articles/cpv4m4zll4go" rel="nofollow">Planet parade - Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Venus, Neptune, Mercury, and Saturn go dey visible in a 'planetary parade' for di last time until 2040</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Feb. 26, 2025, 12:40 AM ET (BBC) </span> </div> <div class="recent-news-item mt-5"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="https://www.newsweek.com/rare-photo-saturn-mountain-setting-viral-reddit-2033731" rel="nofollow">Internet Stunned As Rare Photo Appears To Capture Saturn Over Mountain</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Feb. 19, 2025, 9:13 PM ET (Newsweek) </span> </div> <div class="recent-news-item mt-5"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/11/science/february-full-snow-moon/index.html" rel="nofollow">See February’s full snow moon and the last of the planetary parade</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Feb. 11, 2025, 3:21 AM ET (CNN) </span> </div> <div class="recent-news-item mt-5"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/planet-parade-venus-mars-jupiter-saturn-mercury-make-skywatching-spect-rcna190875" rel="nofollow">Planet parade: Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Mercury make for a skywatching spectacle</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Feb. 8, 2025, 11:42 PM ET (NBC) </span> </div> <button class="js-toggle-recent-news d-flex btn btn-unstyled font-14 pr-10 rounded-sm mt-10" aria-label="Toggle additional news items"> Show less <em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_less"></em> </button> </div> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref514838"></span>Saturn</strong>, second largest <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/planet" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">planet</a> of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/solar-system" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">solar system</a> in mass and size and the sixth nearest planet in distance to the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Sun" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Sun</a>. In the night sky Saturn is easily visible to the unaided <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/human-eye" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">eye</a> as a non-twinkling point of light. When viewed through even a small telescope, the planet encircled by its magnificent rings is arguably the most <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="sublime" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sublime" data-type="MW">sublime</a> object in the solar system. Saturn is designated by the symbol ♄.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Saturn’s name comes from the Roman god of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/agriculture" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">agriculture</a>, who is equated with the Greek deity <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Cronus" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Cronus</a>, one of the Titans and the father of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Zeus" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Zeus</a> (the Roman god Jupiter). As the farthest of the planets known to ancient observers, Saturn also was noted to be the slowest-moving. At a distance from the Sun that is 9.5 times as far as <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Earth" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Earth</a>’s, Saturn takes approximately 29.5 Earth years to make one solar revolution. The Italian astronomer <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Galileo-Galilei" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Galileo</a> in 1610 was the first to observe Saturn with a telescope. Although he saw a strangeness in Saturn’s appearance, the low resolution of his instrument did not allow him to discern the true nature of the planet’s rings.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span><div class="mb-20"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="276091" data-asm-type="infogram"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="infogram"><script id="infogram_0__/kq1AKnmJvA2RSNx54jy1" src="https://e.infogram.com/js/dist/embed.js?Itp" type="text/javascript" title="Planets of Our Solar System"></script></div></figure></div></div><span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Saturn occupies almost 60 percent of <span id="ref883421"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Jupiter-planet" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Jupiter</a>’s volume but has only about one-third of its mass and the lowest mean density—about 70 percent that of water—of any known object in the solar system. Hypothetically, Saturn would float in an ocean large enough to hold it. Both Saturn and Jupiter resemble <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/star-astronomy" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">stars</a> in that their bulk chemical <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="composition" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/composition" data-type="MW">composition</a> is dominated by <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/hydrogen" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">hydrogen</a>. Also, as is the case for Jupiter, the tremendous pressure in Saturn’s deep interior maintains the hydrogen there in a fluid metallic state. Saturn’s structure and evolutionary history, however, differ significantly from those of its larger counterpart. Like the other giant, or Jovian, planets—Jupiter, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Uranus-planet" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Uranus</a>, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Neptune-planet" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Neptune</a>—Saturn has extensive systems of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/moon-natural-satellite" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">moons</a> (natural satellites) and rings, which may provide clues to its origin and evolution as well as to those of the solar system. Saturn’s <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/moon-natural-satellite" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">moon</a> <span id="ref1106123"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Titan-astronomy" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Titan</a> is distinguished from all other moons in the solar system by the presence of a significant atmosphere, one that is <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="denser" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/denser" data-type="EB">denser</a> than that of any of the terrestrial planets except <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Venus-planet" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Venus</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The greatest advances in knowledge of Saturn, as well as of most of the other planets, have come from deep-space probes. Four spacecraft have visited the Saturnian system: <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/Pioneer-space-probes" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Pioneer</a> 11 in 1979, <span id="ref883423"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/Voyager-space-probes" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Voyager</a>s 1 and 2 in the two years following, and, after almost a quarter-century, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Cassini-Huygens" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Cassini-Huygens</a>, which arrived in 2004. The first three missions were short-term flybys, but <span id="ref883425"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Cassini-Huygens" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Cassini</a> went into orbit around Saturn for years of investigations, while its Huygens probe parachuted through the atmosphere of Titan and reached its surface, becoming the first spacecraft to land on a moon other than Earth’s.</p><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="marker h2"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref54278"><h2 class="h1">Basic astronomical data</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Saturn orbits the Sun at a mean distance of 1,427,000,000 km (887 million miles). Its closest distance to Earth is about 1.2 billion km (746 million miles), and its <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/phase-state-of-matter" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">phase</a> angle—the angle that it makes with the Sun and Earth—never exceeds about 6°. Saturn seen from the vicinity of Earth thus always appears nearly fully <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="illuminated" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/illuminated" data-type="MW">illuminated</a>. Only deep <span id="ref514954"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/space-probe" class="md-crosslink ">space probes</a> can provide sidelit and backlit views.</p><a class="link-module shadow-sm d-block qa-quiz-module" href="/quiz/can-you-match-the-moon-to-its-planet-quiz" data-link-module-iframe-link=""> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/24/71324-131-CA22C4BA/Edwin-Aldrin-Moon-July-20-1969.jpg" alt="Buzz Aldrin. Apollo 11. Apollo 11 astronaut Edwin Aldrin, photographed July 20, 1969, during the first manned mission to the Moon's surface. Reflected in Aldrin's faceplate is the Lunar Module and astronaut Neil Armstrong, who took the picture." class="rounded-sm mr-15" width="70" /> <div class="line-clamp clamp-5"> <div class="module-title bg-green">Britannica Quiz</div> <div class="font-weight-semi-bold mt-5">Can You Match The Moon To Its Planet? Quiz</div> </div> </a><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD6 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Like Jupiter and most of the other planets, Saturn has a regular <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/orbit-astronomy" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">orbit</a>—that is, its motion around the Sun is prograde (in the same direction that the Sun rotates) and has a small eccentricity (noncircularity) and <span id="ref514839"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/inclination-of-equator-to-orbit" class="md-crosslink ">inclination</a> to the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/ecliptic" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">ecliptic</a>, the plane of Earth’s orbit. Unlike Jupiter, however, Saturn’s rotational axis is tilted substantially—by 26.7°—to its orbital plane. The tilt gives Saturn seasons, as on Earth, but each season lasts more than seven years. Another result is that Saturn’s rings, which lie in the plane of its equator, are presented to observers on Earth at opening angles ranging from 0° (edge on) to nearly 30°. The view of Saturn’s rings cycles over a 30-year period. Earth-based observers can see the rings’ sunlit northern side for about 15 years and then, in an <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="analogous" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/analogous" data-type="MW">analogous</a> view, the sunlit southern side for the next 15 years. In the short intervals when Earth crosses the ring plane, the rings are all but invisible.</p><span class="marker MOD6 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD7 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Saturn’s <span id="ref514840"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/rotation-physics" class="md-crosslink ">rotation</a> period was very difficult to determine. <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/cloud-meteorology" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Cloud</a> motions in its massive upper atmosphere trace out a variety of periods, which are as short as about 10 hours 10 minutes near the equator and increase with some oscillation to about 30 minutes longer at latitudes higher than 40°. Scientists attempted to determine the rotation period of Saturn’s deep interior from that of its <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/magnetic-field" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">magnetic field</a>, which is <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="presumed" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/presumed" data-type="EB">presumed</a> to be rooted in the planet’s metallic-hydrogen outer core. However, direct measurement of the field’s rotation was difficult because the field is highly symmetrical around the rotational axis. At the time of the Voyager encounters, radio outbursts from Saturn, apparently related to small irregularities in the magnetic field, showed a period of 10 hours 39.4 minutes; this value was taken to be the magnetic field rotation period. Measurements made 25 years later by the <span id="ref1102360"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Cassini" class="md-crosslink ">Cassini</a> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/spacecraft" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">spacecraft</a> indicated that the field was rotating with a period 6–7 minutes longer. It was believed that the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/solar-wind" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">solar wind</a> is responsible for some of the difference between these two measurements of the rotational period. Not until Cassini flew inside Saturn’s rings on its final orbits was the rotation period accurately measured. By relating waves observed in the rings to slight variations in Saturn’s gravitational field, the rotation period of the planet was determined to be 10 hours 33 minutes 38 seconds. The time differences between the rotation periods of Saturn’s clouds and of its interior have been used to estimate wind velocities (<em>see below</em> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Saturn-planet/The-atmosphere#ref54279" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">The atmosphere</a>).</p><div class="module-spacing"> <DIV class="marketing-INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION marketing-content" data-marketing-id="INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION"><style> .student-promo-banner-wrapper { container-type: inline-size; margin-bottom: 15px; } @container (min-width: 475px) { .student-promo-banner { flex-direction: row; } .student-promo-banner-img-wrapper { margin-bottom: 0; margin-right: 10px; justify-content: flex-start; } .student-promo-banner-text-wrapper { text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; } .student-promo-banner-button-wrapper { margin-right: 0; } }</style> <div class="student-promo-banner-wrapper"> <div class="student-promo-banner d-flex flex-column align-items-center bg-blue rounded p-20"> <div class="student-promo-banner-img-wrapper mb-20 mr-0 d-flex justify-content-center"> <img class="rounded" style="max-width: 100px; min-width: 80px" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/marketing/BlueThistle.webp" /> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-text-wrapper ml-0 mb-10 text-center text-white"> <div class="h2 mb-10">Get Unlimited Access</div> <div class="h4 font-weight-semi-bold">Try Britannica Premium for free and discover more.</div> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-button-wrapper d-flex justify-content-center align-items-center ml-auto mr-auto"> <a class="btn btn-m btn-orange" href="https://premium.britannica.com/premium-membership/?utm_source=premium&utm_medium=inline-cta&utm_campaign=august-2024">Subscribe</a> </div> </div> </div> </DIV></div><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD7 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD8 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Because the four giant <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/planet" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">planets</a> have no solid surface in their outer layers, by <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="convention" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/convention" data-type="EB">convention</a> the values for the radius and gravity of these planets are calculated at the level at which one bar of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/atmospheric-pressure" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">atmospheric pressure</a> is exerted. By this measure, Saturn’s equatorial diameter is 120,536 km (74,898 miles). In comparison, its polar diameter is only 108,728 km (67,560 miles), or 10 percent smaller, which makes Saturn the most oblate (flattened at the poles) of all the planets in the solar system. Its oblate shape is apparent even in a small <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/optical-telescope" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">telescope</a>. Even though Saturn rotates slightly slower than Jupiter, it is more oblate because its rotational <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/acceleration" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">acceleration</a> cancels a larger fraction of the planet’s <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/gravity-physics" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">gravity</a> at the equator. The equatorial gravity of the planet, 896 cm (29.4 feet) per second per second, is only 74 percent of its polar gravity. Saturn is 95 times as massive as Earth but occupies a volume 766 times greater. Its mean <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/density" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">density</a> of 0.69 gram per cubic cm is thus only some 12 percent of Earth’s. Saturn’s equatorial <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/escape-velocity" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">escape velocity</a>—the velocity needed for an object, which includes individual atoms and molecules, to escape the planet’s gravitational attraction at the equator without having to be further accelerated—is nearly 36 km per second (80,000 miles per hour) at the one-bar level, compared with 11.2 km per second (25,000 miles per hour) for Earth. This high <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="value" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/value" data-type="EB">value</a> indicates that there has been no significant loss of atmosphere from Saturn since its formation. For additional orbital and physical data, <em>see</em> the <span id="ref3485"></span>table.</p><span class="marker MOD8 mod-inline"></span><span class="md-raw-html"><div class="md-drag md-table-wrapper"><table> <thead> <tr> <th colspan="2" scope="col"> Planetary data for Saturn </th> </tr> </thead> <tfoot> <tr> <td colspan="2"> *Time required for the planet to return to the same position in the sky relative to the Sun as seen from Earth. </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"> **Calculated for the altitude at which 1 bar of atmospheric pressure is exerted. </td> </tr> </tfoot> <tbody> <tr> <td scope="row"> mean distance from Sun </td> <td> 1,426,666,000 km (9.5 AU) </td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row"> eccentricity of orbit </td> <td> 0.054 </td> </tr> <tr> <td> inclination of orbit to ecliptic </td> <td> 2.49° </td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row"> Saturnian year (sidereal period of revolution) </td> <td> 29.45 Earth years </td> </tr> <tr> <td> visual magnitude at mean opposition </td> <td> 0.7 </td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row"> mean synodic period* </td> <td> 378.10 Earth days </td> </tr> <tr> <td> mean orbital velocity </td> <td> 9.6 km/sec </td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row"> equatorial radius** </td> <td> 60,268 km </td> </tr> <tr> <td> polar radius** </td> <td> 54,364 km </td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row"> mass </td> <td> 5.683 × 10<sup>26</sup> kg </td> </tr> <tr> <td> mean density </td> <td> 0.69 g/cm<sup>3</sup> </td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row"> equatorial gravity** </td> <td> 896 cm/sec<sup>2</sup> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> polar gravity** </td> <td> 1,214 cm/sec<sup>2</sup> </td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row"> equatorial escape velocity** </td> <td> 35.5 km/sec </td> </tr> <tr> <td> polar escape velocity** </td> <td> 37.4 km/sec </td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row"> rotation period (magnetic field) </td> <td> 10 hr 39 min 24 sec (Voyager era); about 10 hr 46 min (Cassini-Huygens mission) </td> </tr> <tr> <td> inclination of equator to orbit </td> <td> 26.7° </td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row"> magnetic field strength at equator </td> <td> 0.21 gauss </td> </tr> <tr> <td> number of known moons </td> <td> 62 </td> </tr> <tr> <td scope="row"> planetary ring system </td> <td> 3 major rings comprising myriad component ringlets; several less-dense rings </td> </tr> </tbody> </table></div> </span></section> <span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-simplify-root"></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":9,"pageId":525169,"pageLength":1222,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.133.48"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.133.48' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"B","adLeg":"B","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"PAGINATED","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":true,"hasAiTopQuestions":false,"hasSimplifyButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Saturn | Facts, Size, Temperature, Atmosphere, Color, Rings, & Moons | Britannica