Saturn will come close to Earth only once every year during what is called opposition, with closeness between 14 August and 26 August being its closest point.
Saturn boasts 52 natural satellites or moons; Titan is its most notable. Titan boasts a thick atmosphere similar to Earth.
Saturn stands out in our solar system as the sixth planet from the Sun; but what really defines it are its rings.
The Rings
Galileo initially failed to understand Saturn’s rings upon first seeing them; only 45 years later did Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens correctly identify them as disk-shaped rings that circled around Saturn according to NASA.
The rings of Saturn consist of billions of tiny particles of ice and rock ranging in size from that of a grain of sugar to that of an entire house, all united together by gravity. Their formation may have come about either due to broken-off pieces from larger moons that once orbited it or from original nebular material from which Saturn formed. They may also be affected by gravitational interactions from shepherd moons which help keep the rings intact by orbiting near their edges to maintain sharp definition.
Moons also contribute to the color of rings; water ice particles have a blue-green hue while those containing more non-ice matter have more of a reddish tint. Rings also depend on where and when the sun is located in the sky; when below mid-northern latitudes they become brighter; otherwise when high in the sky they fade more easily.
Voyagers have provided us with an unrivalled look at Saturn’s rings system, revealing details never before seen. They consist of glittering rings of ice, rock, and dust stretching from 2.02 to 2.27 Saturn radii around its planet; B ring is densest with 0.23 to 0.3 Saturn radii of coverage before moving outward towards outer C and A rings that provide greater optical depth (0.1-0.4 Saturn radii). Finally E and G rings offer more diffuse coverage.
At Saturn’s equinox each year, when its northern and southern latitudes are roughly equivalent, sunlight passes through and illuminates only some parts of its rings for brief moments, but you can witness their brilliance during these brief minutes when sunlight can reach them illuminating both its shadow on itself as well as cast by another ring farther out in space. During that brief momentary illumination event, its rings illuminate both shadows – on Saturn itself as well as cast by other rings farther out.
The Moons
Saturn boasts 19 known moons ranging in size from giant titans (such as Jupiter’s moon Io) to tiny ice worlds. Additionally, its rings contain hundreds of moon-sized rocks and dust which orbit at different speeds around it – giving its rings their unique form and creating gaps so we can glimpse some of its gloriously reflective surfaces.
Saturn’s atmosphere consists primarily of hydrogen and helium, along with lesser amounts of methane, water vapor, ammonia, and other gases. High-speed winds reaching speeds up to 1,600 feet (500 meters) per second in its equatorial region help form its cloud bands.
Extreme temperatures and pressures would likely render our planet inhospitable to life as we know it, yet many of its moons may host liquid oceans – like Enceladus with its rocky core surrounded by an ice/water layer.
Saturn is currently at its closest approach to Earth this year – known as opposition – making for an impressive sight as it will shine opposite to our Sun in the night sky.
To experience Saturn at its finest, a good telescopic instrument will be needed, yet even small backyard telescopes can reveal incredible amounts of detail about this gas giant and its iconic rings. When seen during opposition, Saturn’s disk will appear large and bright while its rings may also widen to their maximum.
The two primary rings on Saturn are known as the outer A ring and inner B ring, separated by an inky-black Cassini Division visible through even small backyard telescopes. Both rings contain millions of microscopic particles made up of both dust and ice particles – some older rings such as A show signs of wear from impact while younger and less dense B rings tend to contain mostly dust particles compared with A’s edges being battered from repeated impacts while A shows more wear from impacts than dust particles in its composition.
Sky & Telescope’s observing tool opens a new browser window that enables you to track Saturn’s five brightest moons: Titan, Rhea, Dione, Tethys and Enceladus at any date between 1900 and 2100. Utilizing data from JPL Solar System Dynamics Laboratory’s Ephemerides Service, this tool displays these objects with an accuracy of one day.
The Atmosphere
Saturn has an atmosphere composed mainly of hydrogen and helium with some small amounts of water ice, methane, ammonia, and other molecules thrown in for good measure. Astronomers are studying Saturn’s composition in detail as they try to comprehend how its gases change over time.
Voyager spacecraft captured images of an unusual storm system at Saturn’s northern pole that features an unusual jet stream forming six sides in an hexagon, making up its power source. This powerful storm can last for long stretches, dwarfing similar features on Earth in terms of duration and power – yet scientists do not understand how such an incredible feature was formed.
At the planet’s equator, another fascinating atmospheric phenomenon takes place, where clouds swirl clockwise while temperatures increase with altitude – creating conditions similar to hurricane formation here on Earth. Large cyclonic vortices form with warm central eyes surrounded by high clouds reaching 50 to 70 km (30-40 miles).
Saturn’s lower layers are comprised primarily of hydrogen and helium clouds; however, its upper levels contain various compositions due to increasing temperatures and pressures which change their substances that compose cloud bands. At these higher altitudes temperatures and pressures rise resulting in new substances forming cloud bands such as ammonium hydrosulfide ice at their top layers while their bottom levels contain water ice with droplets of ammonia droplets; some clouds may even appear yellow, brown, or red depending on chemical impurities within their raindroppings or chemical impurities in their compositions due to chemical impurities present within raindrops originating in its compositions.
Saturn boasts some of the fastest winds in our Solar System. Voyager spacecraft recorded wind speeds at 1,100 miles per hour (1,800 kilometers per hour), near its equator; their velocity decreases as latitude does.
When Saturn and the Sun align, they will be separated by over one billion miles; eight times farther than between Earth and Sun. Astronomers around the globe will be watching for this special event to witness this breathtaking sight, while keeping an eye out for any temporary backtracks in Saturn’s motion as it glides past the Sun.
The Surface
Saturn, an atmospheric gas planet composed of hydrogen and helium gases with trace amounts of methane, ammonia, and water ice, features distinct layers that comprise its atmosphere – with temperatures reaching approximately -185degC (-301degF) in the troposphere – the first layer extending up to 200 km above its surface and boasting cold temperatures near -185degC (-301degF).
After that come the stratosphere and thermosphere – warmer regions stretching up to 1000 km above Saturn’s surface that contain hydrocarbon traces that give its hazy appearance. Above these layers lies Saturn’s rings – A, B, C as well as E-G rings (faintier versions exist as well), filled with dust-sized particles as well as metals, ice, rock and more; their braided appearance may have something to do with meteor impacts or electrical discharges from its lightning.
At the center of Earth is an enormous, dense core composed of iron and nickel that is surrounded by liquid metallic hydrogen and other compounds formed through intense heat and pressure, giving rise to intense pressure in its interior. This core may be approximately 10 times as massive as that found on Moon.
Saturn stands out with its mesmerising rings and abundance of moons. Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, boasts a thick atmosphere and is the only natural satellite in our Solar System with liquid surface; another moon called Enceladus features an icy crust covered surface emitting vapour from volcanoes.
As with Jupiter, Saturn boasts an amazingly turbulent atmosphere. One of the windiest planets in our Solar System, with storms reaching 1800 km per hour near its equator and distinctive bands and hues on its clouds; images captured with Hubble Space Telescope show what may be an ancient storm remnant forming hexagonal features on Saturn.
Possible hexagonal features could exist on the Sun; however, that would indicate that our Solar System formed much earlier than we think and would have looked very different than we perceive today. Saturn formed shortly after Jupiter in the early stages of Solar System formation and gradually settled into its present orbit over 4 billion years ago; their combined gravity likely propelled asteroids and comets across our Solar System – some even impacting Earth and giving rise to life here on our planet!