Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest. He lost the lead to Jupiter, but this did not prevent him from arousing the keenest interest among astrophysicists. Saturn is the flattest planet in our solar system, it is distinguished by its incredible beauty, which is complemented by assorted rings. The latter are of interest to astrophysicists no less than the giant itself.
The desire to thoroughly study this planet has long excited scientists. Research continues to this day. Now this process is simplified by modern, more powerful devices. Today we will find out how old Saturn and its rings are, as well as learn interesting facts about this planet and some of its most unusual satellites.
From antiquity to the present day
Who was the first to discover Saturn is hard to say. Even ancient people watched him. But the first to see Saturn in the telescope was Galileo, to whom the ring system of the planet, due to the imperfection of the apparatus, seemedstrange appearances. Moreover, a few years later, when he looked at Saturn again, he did not see these protrusions.
Interesting fact! Saturn is one of the five planets that can be seen with the naked eye from Earth. To an idle observer, it will seem like a large, bright star.
The name of the planet comes from the name of the patron saint of the harvest in Roman mythology. By the way, it was Jupiter who was the father of Saturn. After all, both of these planets are close in size and composition.
Also, the word "Saturn" has the same root as the English word Saturday (Saturday).
Since 2004, Saturn has been observed by the Cassini interplanetary station, which regularly provides new information about the planet. It is truly unique, so the interest of researchers in it is quite understandable.
Gas giant
Saturn is inferior in size only to Jupiter and significantly exceeds our Earth in volume (more precisely, 95 times). But on Saturn, like on Earth, there are seasons, and the northern lights sometimes appear at the north pole. Perhaps this is the only similarity of such different planets. As the seasons change, the color of the planet changes.
Saturn is considered a gas giant, as are Neptune, Uranus and Jupiter. This is due to the lack of a solid surface on it. Its atmosphere is dominated by hydrogen and helium.
Interesting fact! Since the gas giant is mainly composed of hydrogen and helium, its density is lower than that of water. That is, if it were reduced in size and placed in the bathroom, it would float in the water.
In histhe lower region contains traces of water ice. Temperatures can drop as low as -150 degrees, making Saturn one of the least friendly planets. However, some of its satellites, as scientists have found, are more suitable for life.
Saturn rotation speed
In terms of rotation speed, Saturn is second only to Jupiter, making a revolution in 10.5 hours. But the so-called "period of Saturn" (the cycle of its revolution around the Sun) is 30 years. That is, after 30 years, Saturn returns to the same position in the sky as it was at the birth of man. Astrologers say that this milestone is very important in everyone's life. Dramatic changes can affect every aspect of life.
Also in the atmosphere of Saturn there are yellow and beige stripes - these are winds, the speed of which sometimes reaches 1800 km / h. Their speed is explained by the rapid rotation of Saturn.
How old is Saturn?
Saturn is estimated to be 4.6 billion years old.
According to one theory, all the planets of the solar system formed at the same time. About 100 billion years ago, the Galaxy was filled with the remnants of ancient stars - particles of gas, dust and heavy metals. It is these "materials" that became the basis of our solar system. This process probably took over 200 million years.
However, scientists are increasingly questioning their own theories. After all, today it is known that the planets outside the solar system are distinguished by a huge variety of shapes, colors, axial tilts. They refute any theory of the birth of planets,which were put forward earlier.
So, according to another version, the age of Saturn is 21 billion years. How was the age of the planet Saturn calculated? This figure was obtained from the calculation of its density.
The fact is that the age of the planet is determined by examining rocks taken from the upper layer of the space giant, as well as assessing solar neutrinos, etc. However, if a celestial body consists of layers that overlap each other, then the top layer is just the tip of the iceberg. This theory suggests that it is impossible to accurately determine the age of Saturn (and the planets of the solar system as a whole). However, the density calculation allows you to give approximate numbers.
Scientists are paying close attention not only to Saturn, but also to its "accompaniment" - rings and satellites. The age of Saturn's rings is of particular interest to astrophysicists.
Rings of Saturn - features and age
The rings are accumulations of fragments of ice and stone, hundreds of thousands of kilometers in diameter. Their thickness varies from tens of meters to several kilometers. Moreover, on some rings, mountains have recently been discovered! This is the name given to the thickened regions of the rings. As it turned out, these mountains can reach a height of 3 km.
Since Saturn's rings were mostly formed from opaque ice, this explains why they are so visible through a telescope, as ice is highly reflective.
Later, the ice was contaminated by the remains of cosmic bodies, whichattracted and then destroyed the giant magnetic field of the planet, extending for 1,000,000 km. It could be asteroids, comets, meteors, moons.
Outwardly, the rings of this gas giant are unique and incredibly beautiful. Saturn is surrounded by thousands of rings of different sizes and colors. They are incredibly diverse and numerous, but the reasons for this diversity are still unknown.
The age of the rings, which was determined quite recently, is from 100 to 200 million years. That is, they are significantly younger than the planet itself and, most importantly, much younger than researchers previously thought. However, these figures are inaccurate. The thing is that the exact composition of the rings is unknown, and without these details it is impossible to reveal their exact age.
Saturn's rings disappear?
Scientists believe that the rings of a gas giant are individual particles that freely rotate around it, maintaining a ring shape only due to gravity. Moreover, these particles can be both microscopic and the size of entire mansions. It is noteworthy that, having reached the size of a house, they stop "growing". How to explain it? Scientists are still asking this question.
Sometimes it seems that the planet has suddenly lost its rings. It was the fact of their disappearance back in 1610 that puzzled Galileo Galilei. However, in fact, they do not disappear, but only become less noticeable due to the inclination of the plane. True, scientists are sure that soon the rings of Saturn will simply dissipate.
Alien voice?
Total Saturn visitedonly 4 devices, the last of which, Cassini, regularly sent information about the planet to Earth for more than 10 years. And while working with Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, scientists recorded an interesting fact - when the apparatus approached, the rings of Saturn emitted short radio pulses every 10 hours, as if welcoming aliens. Ufologists immediately started talking about aliens on Saturn, but over the years their assumptions have not been confirmed.
The most interesting satellites of Saturn - Enceladus and Titan
Saturn, astrological studies confirm this, has more than 150 satellites. Each of them has an icy surface. The most interesting of them is Enceladus - the first of the discovered satellites of the planet. Scientists are sure that a water ocean is hidden under the crust of ice. The theory appeared after they managed to get s alty water with organic molecules at the south pole of Enceladus. These are the chemicals necessary for life. Alas, the assumption that life may be found in the deep ocean of Enceladus cannot yet be verified. No less promising for the birth of new life is also Europa, a satellite of Jupiter, and Mars.
Titan is the largest moon of Saturn and the second largest of the moons in our solar system. Only Jupiter's satellite, Ganymede, has "outgrown" it. The study of this cosmic body is especially interesting for scientists.
First of all, it is surprising that it has an atmosphere, because all the other satellites of the solar system are atmosphereless due to the lack of gravity. It consistsfrom nitrogen and has a high density. Today, Titan is a cold planet that receives 100 times less sunlight than our Earth. Scientists believe our Earth once looked exactly like Titan.
Thanks to modern devices, researchers were able to see the surface of Titan. It turned out to be similar to the surface of the Earth - mountains, plains, lakes, seas. However, the liquids on Titan's surface are methane and other more complex substances. Water exists in gaseous, liquid and solid states. Despite the general similarity, the landscape of the satellite is very different from the landscape of our planet.
Conclusion
Today we examined the most beautiful and unusual planet (of course, not counting our Earth) of the solar system. We learned how old the planet Saturn and its rings are, what are its features. This unique giant still raises many questions from astrophysicists. And one day, they are sure of it, the answers to the questions will be received. In the meantime, exploration of Saturn continues…
