Solar System/Saturn

thumb|Natural color photograph of Saturn. Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and is the second largest planet (after Jupiter), with a diameter of 120536 kilometers (9.4 times that of Earth). Saturn is known for its spectacular rings, which can be clearly seen with a home telescope of modest size. Saturn is one of the four gas giants. Even though Saturn is much more massive than Earth, if it had a solid surface and you stood on it you would weigh only 6% more than you do on Earth. This is because you would be standing much farther from the center of the planet than you do on Earth. Orbit Saturn orbits the Sun in 29.46 Earth-years, with an orbital eccentricity of 0.05 and an average distance from the Sun of 9.54 AU (Earth-Sun distances). Rotation Saturn rotates prograde (in the direction of its path around the Sun) once every 10 hours 14 minutes, with an axial tilt of 25.33°. Physical characteristics Saturn is the only planet that is less dense than water—in fact its density is just 0.69 that of water. Regions Atmosphere Clouds and winds Spots Vortices Internal structure thumb|Diagram of Saturn. Magnetic field Magnetosphere Rings thumb|800px|center|The rings of Saturn. thumb|Rings of Saturn. The most beautiful planetary system The discovery Of Saturn's rings Composition of the rings The origin of the rings The shepherd satellites "Spokes" or radial formations Satellites Titan Titan is the second largest moon in the solar system and has a diameter over 5% greater than that of the planet Mercury. It is the only planetary moon that has a thick atmosphere made of nitrogen. Titan has lakes made of liquid methane. Mimas Mimas is a tiny, yet spherical moon of Saturn. In fact, Mimas is the smallest spherical body in the Solar System.The moon is dominated by Herschel, a large crater on its surface. Enceladus Enceladus is a small moon of Saturn accentuated by its icy surface. It is believed that it hosts a large subsurface ocean, possibly capable of being friendly to life. Enceladus also has numerous geysers near its south pole. Tethys Dione Rhea Iapetus Hyperion Phoebe