The starry sky has always attracted romantics, poets, artists and lovers with its beauty. Since time immemorial, people have admired the scattering of stars and attributed special magical properties to them.
Ancient astrologers, for example, were able to draw a parallel between the date of birth of a person and the star that shone brightly at that moment. It was believed that it can influence not only the totality of the character traits of a newborn, but also his entire future fate. Stargazing helped farmers determine the best date for sowing and harvesting. It can be said that much in the life of ancient people was subject to the influence of stars and planets, so it is not surprising that mankind has been trying to study the planets closest to Earth for centuries.
Many of them are quite well studied at the moment, but some of them can give scientists a lot of surprises. To such planets, astronomers, in the first place, include Saturn. A description of this gas giant can be found in any textbook on astronomy. However, scientists themselves believe that this is one of the most poorly understood planets, all the mysteries and secrets of which humanity has yet to discover.not even able to list.
Today you will receive the most detailed information about Saturn. The mass of the gas giant, its size, description and comparative characteristics with the Earth - you can learn all this from this article. Perhaps you will hear some facts for the first time, and something will seem simply incredible to you.
Ancient ideas about Saturn
Our ancestors could not accurately calculate the mass of Saturn and give it a characteristic, but they definitely understood how majestic this planet was and even worshiped it. Historians believe that Saturn, which belongs to one of the five planets that are perfectly distinguishable from Earth with the naked eye, has been known to people for a very long time. It got its name in honor of the god of fertility and agriculture. This deity was highly revered among the Greeks and Romans, but later the attitude towards him changed slightly.
The fact is that the Greeks began to associate Saturn with Kronos. This titan was very bloodthirsty and even devoured his own children. Therefore, he was treated without due respect and with some apprehension. But the Romans revered Saturn very much and even considered him a god who gave humanity many of the knowledge necessary for life. It was the god of agriculture who taught ignorant people to work the fields, build living quarters and save the grown crop until the next year. In gratitude to Saturn, the Romans held real holidays lasting several days. During this period, even slaves could forget about their insignificant position and fully feel themselvesfree people.
It is noteworthy that in many ancient cultures, Saturn, which scientists were able to characterize only after millennia, was associated with strong deities who confidently control the destinies of people in many worlds. Modern historians often think that ancient civilizations could have known much more about this giant planet than we do today. Perhaps they had access to other knowledge, and we just have to put aside dry statistics and penetrate into the secrets of Saturn.
Brief description of the planet
It is rather difficult to tell in a few words what planet Saturn really is. Therefore, in the current section, we will present the reader with well-known data that will help to form some idea about this amazing celestial body.
Saturn is the sixth planet in our native solar system. Since it mainly consists of gases, it is classified as a gas giant. Jupiter is usually called the closest "relative" of Saturn, but besides it, Uranus and Neptune can also be added to this group. It is noteworthy that all gaseous planets can be proud of their rings, but only Saturn has them in such quantity that it allows you to see its majestic "belt" even from Earth. Modern astronomers rightly consider it the most beautiful and bewitching planet. After all, the rings of Saturn (what this magnificence consists of, we will tell in one of the following sections of the article) almost constantly change their color and each time their photo surprises with new shades. Therefore, gasthe giant is one of the most recognizable among the rest of the planets
The mass of Saturn (5.68×1026 kg) is extremely large compared to the Earth, we will talk about this a little later. But the diameter of the planet, which, according to the latest data, is more than one hundred and twenty thousand kilometers, confidently brings it to second place in the solar system. Only Jupiter, the leader in this list, can compete with Saturn.
The gas giant has its own atmosphere, magnetic fields and a huge number of satellites, which were gradually discovered by astronomers. Interestingly, the density of the planet is noticeably less than the density of water. Therefore, if your imagination allows you to imagine a huge pool filled with water, then be sure that Saturn will not drown in it. Like a huge inflatable ball, it will slowly slide on the surface.
The origin of the gas giant
Despite the fact that Saturn has been actively explored by spacecraft over the past decades, scientists still cannot confidently say exactly how the planet was formed. To date, two main hypotheses have been put forward, which have their followers and opponents.
The sun and Saturn are often compared in composition. Indeed, they contain a large concentration of hydrogen, which allowed some scientists to hypothesize that our star and the planets of the solar system were formed at almost the same time. Massive gas accumulations became the ancestors of Saturn and the Sun. However, none of the supporters of this theory can explain why from the source material, ifso it can be said that in one case a planet was formed, and in the other a star. No one can yet give a decent explanation for the differences in their composition.
According to the second hypothesis, the formation of Saturn lasted hundreds of millions of years. Initially, there was the formation of solid particles, which gradually reached the mass of our Earth. However, at some point, the planet lost a large amount of gas and at the second stage, it actively added it from outer space by gravity.
Scientists hope that in the future they will be able to discover the secret of the formation of Saturn, but before that they still have many decades of waiting. After all, only the Cassini apparatus, which worked in its orbit for a long thirteen years, managed to get as close as possible to the planet. This autumn, he completed his mission, collecting for observers a huge amount of data that has yet to be processed.
Orbit of the planet
Saturn and the Sun share almost one and a half billion kilometers, so the planet gets not so much light and heat from our main luminary. It is noteworthy that the gas giant rotates around the Sun in a slightly elongated orbit. However, in recent years, scientists have argued that almost all planets do this. Saturn makes a complete revolution in almost thirty years.
The planet spins extremely fast around its axis, it takes about ten Earth hours for a revolution. If we lived on Saturn, that is how long a day would last. Interestingly, scientists tried to calculate the full rotation of the planet around its axisrepeatedly. During this time, an error of approximately six minutes occurred, which is considered quite impressive in the framework of science. Some scientists attribute it to the inaccuracy of instruments, while others argue that over the years, our native Earth began to rotate more slowly, which allowed errors to form.
The structure of the planet
Since the size of Saturn is often compared with Jupiter, it is not surprising that the structures of these planets are very similar to each other. Scientists conditionally divide the gas giant into three layers, the center of which is a rocky core. It has a high density and is at least ten times more massive than the Earth's core. The second layer, where it is located, is liquid metallic hydrogen. Its thickness is approximately fourteen and a half thousand kilometers. The outer layer of the planet is molecular hydrogen, the thickness of this layer is measured in eighteen and a half thousand kilometers.
Scientists, studying the planet, found out one interesting fact - it emits two and a half times more radiation into outer space than it receives from the star. They tried to find a definite explanation for this phenomenon, drawing a parallel with Jupiter. However, until now, this remains another mystery of the planet, because the size of Saturn is smaller than its “brother”, which emits much more modest amounts of radiation into the outside world. Therefore, today such activity of the planet is explained by the friction of helium flows. But how viable this theory is, scientists cannot say.
Planet Saturn: compositionatmosphere
If you observe the planet through a telescope, it becomes noticeable that the color of Saturn has a slightly muted pale orange hues. On its surface, stripe-like formations can be noted, which are often formed into bizarre shapes. However, they are not static and quickly transform.
When we are talking about gaseous planets, it is rather difficult for the reader to understand exactly how one can determine the difference between the conditional surface and the atmosphere. Scientists also faced a similar problem, so it was decided to determine a certain starting point. It is in it that the temperature begins to drop, and here astronomers draw an invisible border.
Saturn's atmosphere is almost ninety-six percent hydrogen. Of the constituent gases, I would also like to name helium, it is present in an amount of three percent. The remaining one percent is divided among themselves by ammonia, methane and other substances. For all living organisms known to us, the atmosphere of the planet is destructive.
The thickness of the atmospheric layer is close to sixty kilometers. Surprisingly, Saturn, like Jupiter, is often referred to as the "planet of storms." Of course, by the standards of Jupiter, they are insignificant. But for earthlings, a wind of almost two thousand kilometers per hour will seem like the real end of the world. Such storms occur on Saturn quite often, sometimes scientists notice formations in the atmosphere that resemble our hurricanes. In a telescope, they look like vast white spots, and hurricanes are extremely rare. Therefore, watching them is considered a great success forastronomers.
Rings of Saturn
The color of Saturn and its rings is approximately the same, although this "belt" sets a huge number of problems for scientists that they are not yet able to solve. It is especially difficult to answer questions about the origin and age of this splendor. To date, the scientific community has put forward several hypotheses on this topic, which no one can yet prove or disprove.
First of all, many young astronomers are interested in what the rings of Saturn are made of. Scientists can answer this question quite accurately. The structure of the rings is very heterogeneous, it consists of billions of particles that move at great speed. The diameter of these particles ranges from one centimeter to ten meters. They are ninety-eight percent ice. The remaining two percent are various impurities.
Despite the impressive picture that the rings of Saturn present, they are very thin. Their thickness, on average, does not even reach a kilometer, while their diameter reaches two hundred and fifty thousand kilometers.
For simplicity, the rings of the planet are usually called one of the letters of the Latin alphabet, three rings are considered the most noticeable. But the second is considered to be the brightest and most beautiful.
Ring formation: theories and hypotheses
Since ancient times, people have puzzled over exactly how the rings of Saturn were formed. Initially, a theory was put forward about the simultaneous formation of the planet and its rings. However, later this version was refuted, because scientists were struck by the purity of the ice, of which the “belt” of Saturn consists. If the rings had the same age as the planet, then their particles would be covered with a layer that can be compared to dirt. Since this did not happen, the scientific community had to look for other explanations.
Traditional is the theory of an exploded satellite of Saturn. According to this statement, approximately four billion years ago, one of the planet's satellites came too close to it. According to scientists, its diameter could reach up to three hundred kilometers. Under the influence of the tidal force, it was torn into billions of particles that formed the rings of Saturn. The version about the collision of two satellites is also considered. Such a theory seems to be the most plausible, but recent data make it possible to determine the age of the rings as one hundred million years.
Surprisingly, the particles of the rings constantly collide with each other, form into new formations, and thus make it difficult to study them. Modern scientists cannot yet solve the mystery of the formation of Saturn's "belt", which has added to the list of mysteries of this planet.
Moons of Saturn
The gas giant has a huge number of satellites. Forty percent of all known satellites of the solar system revolve around it. To date, sixty-three moons of Saturn have been discovered, and many of them present no less surprises than the planet itself.
The size of satellites ranges from three hundred kilometers to more than five thousand kilometers in diameter. It was easiest for astronomers to discover largemoons, most of them were able to describe in the late eighties of the eighteenth century. It was then that Titan, Rhea, Enceladus and Iapetus were discovered. These moons are still of great interest to scientists and are being closely studied by them.
It is interesting that all the satellites of Saturn are very different from each other. They are united by the fact that they are always turned to the planet with only one side and rotate almost synchronously. The three moons of greatest interest to astronomers are:
- Titanium.
- Rhea.
- Enceladus.
Titan is the second largest in the solar system. It is not surprising that he is second only to one of the satellites of Jupiter. The diameter of Titan is half that of the Moon, and the size is comparable to and even larger than Mercury. Interestingly, the composition of this giant moon of Saturn contributed to the formation of the atmosphere. In addition, there is liquid on it, which puts Titan on a par with the Earth. Some scientists even suggest that there may be some form of life on the moon's surface. Of course, it will be significantly different from the earth, because the atmosphere of Titan consists of nitrogen, methane and ethane, and on its surface you can see lakes of methane and islands with a bizarre relief formed by liquid nitrogen.
Enceladus is no less amazing satellite of Saturn. Scientists call it the brightest celestial body in the solar system because of its surface, completely covered with an ice crust. Scientists are sure that under this layer of ice lies a real ocean, in which living things may well exist.organisms.
Rhea surprised astronomers not so long ago. After numerous shots, they were able to see several thin rings around her. It is too early to talk about their composition and size, but this discovery was shocking, because previously it was not even assumed that rings could rotate around the satellite.
Saturn and Earth: a comparative analysis of these two planets
Comparison of Saturn and the Earth, scientists spend infrequently. These celestial bodies are too different to compare them with each other. But today we decided to expand the reader's horizons a little and still look at these planets with a fresh look. Do they have anything in common?
First of all, it comes to mind to compare the mass of Saturn and the Earth, this difference will be incredible: the gas giant is ninety-five times larger than our planet. In size, it exceeds the Earth nine and a half times. Therefore, in its volume, our planet can fit more than seven hundred times.
Interestingly, Saturn's gravity would be ninety-two percent of Earth's gravity. If we assume that a person weighing one hundred kilograms is transferred to Saturn, then his weight will decrease to ninety-two kilograms.
Every student knows that the Earth's axis has a certain angle of inclination relative to the Sun. This allows the seasons to change each other, and people enjoy all the beauties of nature. Surprisingly, Saturn's axis has a similar tilt. Therefore, the planet can also observe the change of seasons. However, they do not have a pronounced character and it is rather difficult to trace them.
LikeEarth, Saturn has its own magnetic field, and recently scientists have witnessed a real aurora that spilled over the conditional surface of the planet. It pleased with the duration of the glow and bright purple hues.
Even from our small comparative analysis, it can be seen that both planets, despite the incredible differences, have something that unites them. Perhaps this makes scientists constantly turn their gaze towards Saturn. However, some of them laughingly say that if it were possible to look at both planets side by side, then the Earth would look like a coin, and Saturn would look like an inflated basketball.
Studying the gas giant that is Saturn is a process that puzzles scientists all over the world. More than once they sent probes and various apparatuses to him. Since the last mission was completed this year, the next one is scheduled only for 2020. However, now no one can say whether it will take place. For several years, negotiations have been underway on Russia's participation in this large-scale project. According to preliminary calculations, the new device will take about nine years to get into the orbit of Saturn, and another four years to study the planet and its largest satellite. Based on the foregoing, one can be sure that the disclosure of all the secrets of the planet of storms is a matter of the future. Perhaps you, our readers today, will also take part in this.
