What color are the planets of the solar system? General information about the planet Saturn

Observing from Earth, it is impossible to say what color the planets of the solar system are. In the night sky, most of them look like small shiny stars, and the most distant ones are completely impossible to see. Illustrations in textbooks on astronomy and other literature are also far from the truth. The true colors of celestial bodies can only be seen in photographs taken from space or using powerful telescopes.

We will show the real colors of the planets of the solar system, and also find out why their surface acquired this or that color.

Dim Mercury

To imagine what color Mercury is, just look at the Moon. Both celestial bodies have the same dark gray color. The only difference is that the first object from the Sun does not have large dark spots, which on the Moon are called “seas”.

The color of Mercury is due to several reasons. Firstly, its surface is a thick layer of solidified lava. It poured out from the depths of the planet several billion years ago, when the core was extremely active. Now large-scale tectonic processes are not observed. Mercury appears as a dark gray spherical object, dotted with impact craters after being bombarded by meteorites.

The second reason for this color of the Mercury surface is the absence of an atmosphere. There is no airborne interference that could distort the actual color of the planet Mercury, scattering or absorbing streams of light.

Acidic Venus

From Earth, the second planet from the Sun looks like a bright star, shining with an even white light. Space probes have helped reveal what color Venus really is.

In order to truly convey the shade of the Venusian surface, the devices take pictures using different wavelengths of light. To discern any relief structures in its thick atmosphere, ultraviolet filters are used.

In the photographs, the color of Venus changes from yellow-orange to reddish. This is how it looks thanks to acidic clouds that absorb the short-wavelength part of the spectrum. In addition, such bright shades in photographs are obtained after computer processing. In reality, Venus' atmosphere is pale yellow, and beneath it you can see the planet's brownish-red surface. It became this way due to the large number of active volcanoes.

Blue Earth

It’s not for nothing that our house is called the blue planet. Due to the dominance of oceans over land, the Earth's predominant color from space is light blue. You can also see brown-yellow and green spots of the continents on its surface. It is also covered with clumps of white clouds.

The color of the Earth is due not only to the developed hydrosphere, but also to the dense oxygen-containing air envelope. The earth's atmosphere scatters sunlight and also absorbs the yellow-red part of the spectrum. With a significant distance, blue, green and brown spots on the surface of our planet merge. It acquires an even blue tint.

Iron Mars

The question of what color Mars is is unlikely to cause any difficulties for anyone. Earth's neighbor is often called the red planet. From space, the Martian surface appears reddish-orange due to a top layer rich in iron-bearing minerals such as hematite and magnetite. Clouds of mineral dust constantly hover above the surface, which is what makes the fourth planet so red from afar.

The Opportunity and Curiosity rovers transmitted images to Earth that captured the true hue of the upper layers of Mars. Up close, its surface looks yellowish-brown with occasional splashes of brown, green and gold. This color indicates the high activity of erosion processes in the Martian soil.

Unstable Jupiter

It is difficult to give a clear answer to the question of what color the planet Jupiter is. Its color is affected by the presence of storms in the atmosphere and the filters used when shooting.

In reality, Jupiter looks like a striped-spotted ball. Large reddish-brown stripes stand out against a light yellow background. They are caused by the presence of impurities of phosphorus, sulfur and ammonia in the hydrogen-helium atmosphere of the giant.

Due to the instability of atmospheric phenomena, the hue of Jupiter is constantly changing. Even the Great Red Spot, observed for more than 350 years, changes its color from intense red-brown to light tan. This is due to the periodic weakening of the wind speed in this giant vortex.

Faded Saturn

The color of the planet Saturn is determined by its atmosphere, because... the second giant of the solar system also does not have a solid surface. In all images taken by ground-based and orbital telescopes, it appears pale yellow with thin orange stripes near the equator. The Saturnian atmosphere received this hue due to its high ammonia content.

The real color of Saturn's rings was captured spacecraft Cassini. Flying near the planet in 2004, it sent back to Earth many images of the gas giant and its rings. When using an ultraviolet filter, dust and ice formations appear red and blue-blue. In this case, silicates glow red, and ice particles glow blue. Using red, green and blue filters in the shooting, the rings acquired a dull brownish-gray tint.

Ice Uranus

Photographs taken by the Voyager interplanetary probe and the Hubble telescope helped us find out what color Uranus is. The ice giant is a greenish-blue ball. Our Earth will also look like this when viewed from a long distance.

The atmosphere of Uranus acquired this color due to simple hydrocarbons and methane. It absorbs long-wave radiation from the sun's rays (red-yellow part of the spectrum).

Windy Neptune

The blue-blue color of the planet Neptune is a consequence of high concentrations of methane in the atmosphere. However, Neptune has a darker hue than its neighbor Uranus. This is due to the fact that Neptune’s gas shell, in addition to simple hydrocarbons, contains other organic compounds that absorb yellow-red light waves.

In images taken near the surface of the eighth planet in the solar system, dark blue spots can be seen. These are giant atmospheric vortices, whose speed sometimes reaches 2400 km/h.

All colors have a certain effect on a person. Each color is associated with a planet, which gives a person special qualities, talents and skills. To figure out which flowers are favorable, you don’t have to go to an astrologer; you can use the descriptions of flowers and planets to determine which color is right for you.

LIGHT GREEN IS THE COLOR OF MERCURY
The planet Mercury, the most intellectual planet, is responsible for the green color in Vedic astrology. This color gives a person a sense of novelty, a desire to do something new, a surge of strength and a thirst for knowledge. This is the color of businessmen, students, people of science.
Green color gives a person:
*New creative ideas;
*Desire to learn, take courses, improve skills;
*Develops useful communication skills;
*Helps to establish business connections;
*Accelerates the thinking process;
*Gives talent in building your own business and solving numerous daily problems.

Who is contraindicated in green color:
*Those who experience overexertion or chronic fatigue;
*Those who are overloaded with active mental activity;
*For those who want to relax;
*Those who are prone to accumulating unnecessary knowledge;
*Who has a predisposition to nervous diseases;
*Whoever is confused in his thoughts, cannot make a decision and who is prone to reckless actions.

BLUE, BLACK IS THE COLOR OF SATURN
The planet responsible for blue color in Vedic astrology is Saturn, the planet of workaholics with great endurance and self-control. The blue color gives a person a feeling of peace, sets him up for long and hard work, and helps him enjoy the process rather than the result. This is the color of old people and diligent people, people who are not inclined to make easy profits, but are ready to work for a long time for a promising task. This is the color of major politicians and businessmen or, conversely, the most detached people and ascetics.

Blue color gives a person:
*Exposure, ability to make informed decisions, depth of thinking;
*Develops diligence and desire to perform complex tasks;
*Focus on long-term and serious results;
*Desire to deal with socially significant issues;
*Desire to help ordinary people, the elderly and the disadvantaged, as well as take care of servants;
*The ability to wait a long time and make do with little in life.

Who is the color blue contraindicated for:
*Those who have poor health;
*Those who are prone to slowness and depression;
*Those who find it difficult to keep their promises;
*For those who need to make a quick decision;
*Those who lack self-control and patience.

GOLD AND RUBY COLORS ARE THE COLORS OF THE SUN.
The planet Sun, the planet of status and position, is responsible for the golden and ruby ​​colors in Vedic astrology. This color gives a person the desire for big money, power and status. This is the planet of political leaders, presidents, kings and people in leadership positions.

Gold and ruby ​​colors give a person:
*Self confidence, good self-esteem;
*Purposefulness and determination;
*Ability to express yourself, good clear speech and health;
*Desire to be a leader and manage other people;
*Desire to be the center of attention;
*Desire to care for others;
*Gaining luxury and fame.

Gold color should be avoided:
*Those who have problems with the heart, digestion;
*Those who are prone to criticize others;
*Those who have problems in relationships with their father or men;
*Those who are not inclined to care about others;
*Those who have weak immunity and are prone to infectious and viral diseases.

WHITE (SILVER) COLOR – COLOR OF THE MOON
The planet responsible for white color in Vedic astrology is the Moon, the planet of purity and correct thoughts. White and silver colors give a person a good character in general, a stable psyche, a desire to care for others, confidence and strength of character, and wisdom in life.

White color gives a person:
*Calmness, confidence and inner strength;
*Develops gentleness, kindness and love;
*Gives a feeling of freshness and novelty, cleanses a person’s thoughts;
*Develops good character qualities;
*Strengthens nerves and psyche.

White color should be avoided:
*Those who are susceptible to nervous breakdowns and mental disorders;
*Those who have an imbalance of water in the body, kidney problems;
*For those who doubt their decisions for a long time;
*Those who lack strength of character;
*Those who are prone to excessive emotionality, too touchy.

YELLOW-BEIGE – COLOR OF JUPITER
In Vedic astrology, the planet Jupiter is responsible for the yellow-beige color - the planet of spirituality, wisdom and prosperity, and Jupiter also protects children. This color gives a person success in all matters - both worldly and spiritual. This is the color of people associated with the law, the color of spiritual and moral personalities.

Yellow-beige color gives a person:
*Full realization in spiritual and material sense;
*Helps to attract material wealth;
*Improves relationships with the law;
*Helps during pregnancy and childbirth;
*Improves relationships with children;
*Gives status and power;
*Helps you find spiritual teacher or mentor.

Yellow-beige color (champagne, ivory) is universal, so there are no contraindications for wearing. Unless you want to become rich, wise and spiritual, then don't wear this color.

BLUE, LILAC, PINK – THE COLORS OF VENUS
These colors in Vedic astrology belong to Venus - the planet of art and beauty. These colors develop creative talents and are good to wear for women. This is the color of creative people of all professions.

What do these colors give to a person:
*Develops sense of taste and Creative skills;
*Improve mood, charge with energy and positivity;
*Helps you enjoy life and gives you a festive mood;
* Helps develop femininity;
*Help people get out of difficult emotional states and help unlock a person’s potential.
*Attracts love.

Venus colors should be avoided:
*People with excess creative energy;
*Those who need to “ground themselves” and return to everyday responsibilities;
*Those who lack seriousness in life;
*Who is prone to alcohol and cigarette abuse.
*Too amorous natures.

RED IS THE COLOR OF MARS
The color red in Vedic astrology belongs to Mars, the planet of war and strength. This color gives a person determination, the desire to achieve his goals and develops will. This is the color of police officers, judges, athletes, people who work with fire, the color of leaders, and also doctors.

Red color gives a person:
*Desire to achieve your goals;
*Develops leadership qualities;
*Gives a desire to play sports;
*Love of order and logical thinking;
*Develops will and determination;
*Desire to care for the weak.

Red color should be avoided:
*People who frequently receive injuries, bruises or cuts;
*Those who get into accidents and unpleasant adventures;
*Who have had frequent operations, surgical intervention;
*Who is too angry;
*Who likes to resolve issues by force;
*Those who direct their power to destruction rather than creation.

DARK BROWN, EARTHY – COLOR OF RAHU (shadow planet in Vedic astrology)
Brown color in Vedic astrology it belongs to Rahu - the planet of extremes and deception. Rahu gives a tendency to deceit, immorality, low behavior. Rahu is the planet of criminals, thieves, people who are ready to sacrifice moral principles for the sake of profit, dirty businessmen and politicians, scientists, meat-eaters and prostitutes. These are people who are ready to go over their heads for their own profit.

Dark brown color gives a person:
*Exit from a difficult situation;
*New creative ideas;
*Invention of new modern technologies, using electricity, plastic and harmful materials;
*Progress in scientific research;
*Desire for quick profit and gain.

Dark brown color should be avoided:
*For those who have problems with alcohol, gambling;
*For those who strive for spiritual development;
*To those who want to bring good to people;
*For those who care about their health.

GRAY, SMOKE – KETU COLOR (second shadow planet in astrology)
Gray color belongs to the planet Ketu - the second planet of extremes, but with the ability to progress spiritually. Ketu gives a person good intuition, subtle nature and introversion. Ketu is the planet of sailors, magicians and magicians, hypnotists.

Gray color gives a person:
*Develops intuition, subtle vision;
*Helps you remain invisible;
*Develops esoteric and mystical abilities;
*Helps in painstaking work;
*Gives the desire for spiritual progress and liberation from the cycle of rebirth in samsara.

Gray color should be avoided:
*Immoral individuals;
*Who experiences hallucinations;
*Who feels that life is passing him by;
*Who has problems in relationships with society;
*Who feels depressed and lonely.

Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the Solar System in terms of diameter and mass. Often, Saturn is called fraternal planets. When compared, it becomes clear why Saturn and Jupiter were designated as relatives. From the composition of their atmosphere to their rotational patterns, the two planets are very similar. It is in honor of this similarity that in Roman mythology Saturn was named after the father of the god Jupiter.

A unique feature of Saturn is the fact that this planet is the least dense in the solar system. Despite Saturn's dense, solid core, the planet's large gaseous outer layer brings the planet's average density to only 687 kg/m3. As a result, it turns out that Saturn’s density is less than that of water, and if it were the size of a matchbox, it would easily float down the flow of a spring stream.

Orbit and rotation of Saturn

The average orbital distance of Saturn is 1.43 x 109 km. This means that Saturn is 9.5 times farther from the Sun than the total distance from the Earth to the Sun. As a result, it takes sunlight approximately an hour and twenty minutes to reach the planet. In addition, taking into account Saturn's distance from the Sun, the length of the year on the planet is 10.756 Earth days; that is, about 29.5 Earth years.

The eccentricity of Saturn's orbit is the third largest after and. As a result of such a large eccentricity, the distance between the planet's perihelion (1.35 x 109 km) and aphelion (1.50 x 109 km) is quite significant - about 1.54 x 108 km.

Saturn's axial tilt, which is 26.73 degrees, is very similar to Earth's, and this explains the presence of the same seasons on the planet as on Earth. However, due to Saturn's distance from the Sun, it receives significantly less sunlight during the year and for this reason the seasons on Saturn are much more blurred than on Earth.

Talking about the rotation of Saturn is just as interesting as talking about the rotation of Jupiter. With a rotation speed of approximately 10 hours 45 minutes, Saturn is second only to Jupiter, which is the fastest rotating planet in the solar system. Such extreme rates of rotation no doubt affect the shape of the planet, giving it the shape of a spheroid, that is, a sphere that bulges out somewhat at the equator.

The second surprising feature of Saturn's rotation is the different rotation rates between different apparent latitudes. This phenomenon is formed as a result of the fact that the predominant substance in the composition of Saturn is gas rather than solid.

The ring system of Saturn is the most famous in the solar system. The rings themselves are made mostly of billions of tiny ice particles, as well as dust and other comical debris. This composition explains why the rings are visible from Earth through telescopes - ice has a very high rate of reflection of sunlight.

There are seven broad classifications among the rings: A, B, C, D, E, F, G. Each ring is named according to the English alphabet in order of frequency of discovery. The most visible rings from Earth are A, B and C. In fact, each ring is made up of thousands of smaller rings literally pressed against each other. But there are gaps between the main rings. The gap between rings A and B is the largest of these gaps at 4,700 km.

The main rings begin approximately 7,000 km above Saturn's equator and extend for another 73,000 km. It is interesting to note that although this is a very significant radius, the actual thickness of the rings is no more than one kilometer.

The most common theory to explain the formation of the rings is that a medium-sized satellite in Saturn's orbit, under the influence of tidal forces, disintegrated when its orbit became too close to Saturn.

• Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the last of the planets known to ancient civilizations. It is believed that it was first observed by the inhabitants of Babylon.
  Saturn is one of the five planets that can be seen with the naked eye. It is also the fifth brightest object in the solar system.
  In Roman mythology, Saturn was the father of Jupiter, the king of the gods. This relationship is due to the similarity of the planets of the same name, in particular in size and composition.
  Saturn releases more energy than it receives from the Sun. It is believed that this feature is due to the gravitational compression of the planet and the friction of the large amount of helium in its atmosphere.
  Saturn takes 29.4 Earth years to complete its orbit around the Sun. Such slow motion relative to the stars was the reason for the ancient Assyrians to designate the planet as “Lubadsagush”, which means “the oldest of the old”.
  Saturn has the fastest winds in our solar system. The speed of these winds has been measured, the maximum value being about 1800 kilometers per hour.
  Saturn is the least dense planet in the solar system. The planet is mostly made of hydrogen and has a density less than that of water - which technically means Saturn will float.
  Saturn has more than 150 moons. All of these satellites have an icy surface. The largest of them are Titan and Rhea. Enceladus is a very interesting satellite, as scientists are sure that a water ocean is hidden under its icy crust.

• Saturn's moon Titan is the second largest moon in the solar system, after Jupiter's moon Ganymede. Titan has a complex and dense atmosphere consisting mainly of nitrogen, water ice and rock. Titan's frozen surface has liquid lakes of methane and a topography covered in liquid nitrogen. Because of this, researchers believe that if Titan is a haven for life, then this life will be fundamentally different from earthly life.
  Saturn is the flattest of the eight planets. Its polar diameter is 90% of its equatorial diameter. This is due to the fact that the low-density planet has a high rotation speed - a revolution around its axis takes Saturn 10 hours and 34 minutes.
  Oval-shaped storms occur on Saturn, which are similar in structure to those that occur on Jupiter. Scientists believe that this pattern of clouds around Saturn's north pole may be a true example of the existence of atmospheric waves in the upper clouds. There is also a vortex above the south pole of Saturn, which in its shape is very similar to hurricane storms that occur on Earth.
  Through telescope lenses, Saturn is usually visible in a pale yellow color. This is because its upper atmosphere contains ammonia crystals. Below this top layer are clouds that are primarily composed of water ice. Even lower, layers of icy sulfur and cold mixtures of hydrogen.

In the sky we can see many of the planets of the solar system. And even with the naked eye you can see that they have different colors, even if they look like stars. Mars and Jupiter, for example, are visible as reddish stars, and Saturn as white.

But what color are the planets of the solar system when you approach them? After all, one of their shades will probably predominate. Yes, all planets look different, and for different reasons. Let's look at this issue and start in order.

Mercury is grey. He looks like this in all the photos. This is not because the photographs are black and white. It's just that it's actually grey, in different shades.

The surface of Mercury resembles that of the moon.

It has virtually no atmosphere, and the surface is rocky, dotted with craters. An inexperienced person can easily confuse a photo of Mercury with the moon. They are actually very similar, both in landscape and in shades.

Venus

Venus is yellow-white. Here we see not the surface, but the upper layers of the dense, thick Venusian atmosphere, or rather, its clouds in these layers. These clouds consist of sulfuric acid, which gives this “acidic” color. The surface is never visible through the thick cloud cover.

In the earth's sky, Venus appears as a bright star with a soft yellowish tint.

Earth

The Earth is light blue, which is why it is called the “blue planet.” It's not just the huge areas that the oceans occupy - 70% of the entire surface. The Earth has a fairly dense atmosphere, which refracts passing light in such a way that red rays are absorbed and blue rays pass freely.

Earth is the “blue planet”.

This is why we see the sky blue. And if you look at the Earth from space, you can see how the atmosphere envelops the planet in a blue cocoon.

There are many white clouds in the earth's sky, consisting of water vapor. Therefore, from a distance, our planet does not look pure blue, but light blue.

Mars

Mars is red-orange. It has an atmosphere, but it is quite thin, with very few clouds. Usually it does not interfere with seeing the surface, which is almost all predominantly red or orange. For this reason it has long been called the “Red Planet”.

Mars - "Red Planet".

The fact is that the Martian soil contains a lot of iron, or rather its oxides. We know these oxides as ordinary red rust. Therefore, Mars also has such a “rusty” reddish color.

Sometimes global dust storms occur on Mars that cover the entire planet. Then Mars acquires a uniform yellow-red color.

Jupiter

The predominant color of Jupiter is orange, which is exactly the kind of star we see in the earth’s sky. But this is a gas giant that does not have a solid surface, and besides, we see only the upper layers of its atmosphere. And they are divided into clearly visible stripes of orange and white. The orange ones are dominated by ammonium hydrosulfide clouds, while the white ones are dominated by ammonia clouds. Therefore, in fact, the color is formed from orange and white, of which there are approximately equal parts.

Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system.

Saturn

Saturn is light yellow. Here we are also dealing with a gas giant and can only see the upper layers of its atmosphere and clouds. Like Jupiter, Saturn also has stripes of different colors, but they are not so different, they are more “smeared out”.

In addition, the uppermost white cloud layer is composed of ammonia, obscuring details. It obscures the reddish layer below. As a result, the lower red layer in combination with the upper one gives this light yellow color.

In the earth's sky it looks like a white star with a slightly yellowish tint. In a telescope it is just light yellow.

Uranus

Uranus has a pale blue color. This is also a gas giant, so we only see its upper cloud layer. And the upper layer clouds consist of methane, so they have a blue tint. The lower cloud layer consists of yellowish hydrogen sulfide and white ammonia clouds. They can also be seen in small quantities on the planet’s disk, but they do not affect the overall color. The layers below are never visible.

The bluish color of Uranus is due to the presence of methane in the atmosphere.

In a telescope it also has a blue tint. It can also be called a “blue planet”, like the Earth.

Neptune

Neptune has a pale blue color, like Uranus. The reason is the same - a large amount of methane in its upper atmosphere. Methane absorbs red light, which is why we see blue and cyan. But Neptune in photographs looks more saturated and is closer to blue than cyan.

Neptune has a rich blue color, almost blue.

The reason for this is the greater distance from the Sun, which is why it receives much less light. Therefore, blue looks darker, almost blue. In addition, it is possible that in the atmosphere, in addition to methane, there is some still unknown component that also strongly absorbs red light and makes the color of Neptune more saturated.

What color are the planets of the solar system - summary

In the picture below you can see the main colors of all the planets in the solar system mentioned above.

The color of all the planets in the solar system.

Photo taken from the Cassini spacecraft

Planet Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun. Everyone knows about this planet. Almost everyone can easily recognize her because her rings are her calling card.

General information about the planet Saturn

Do you know what her famous rings are made of? The rings consist of ice stones ranging in size from microns to several meters. Saturn, like all giant planets, consists mainly of gases. Its rotation varies from 10 hours and 39 minutes to 10 hours and 46 minutes. These measurements are based on radio observations of the planet.

Image of the planet Saturn

Using the latest propulsion systems and launch vehicles, the spacecraft will take at least 6 years and 9 months to arrive at the planet.

At the moment, the only Cassini spacecraft has been in orbit since 2004, and it has been the main supplier of scientific data and discoveries for many years. For children, the planet Saturn, as in principle for adults, is truly the most beautiful of the planets.

General characteristics

The largest planet in the solar system is Jupiter. But the title of second largest planet belongs to Saturn.

Just for comparison, the diameter of Jupiter is about 143 thousand kilometers, and Saturn is only 120 thousand kilometers. The size of Jupiter is 1.18 times larger than that of Saturn, and its mass is 3.34 times more massive.

In fact, Saturn is very large, but light. And if the planet Saturn is immersed in water, it will float on the surface. The planet's gravity is only 91% of Earth's.

Saturn and Earth differ in size by 9.4 times and in mass by 95 times. The volume of the gas giant could fit 763 planets like ours.

Orbit

The planet's complete revolution around the Sun takes 29.7 years. Like all planets in the Solar System, its orbit is not a perfect circle, but has an elliptical trajectory. The average distance to the Sun is 1.43 billion km, or 9.58 AU.

The closest point in Saturn's orbit is called perihelion and is located 9 astronomical units from the Sun (1 AU is the average distance from the Earth to the Sun).

The most distant point of the orbit is called aphelion and is located 10.1 astronomical units from the Sun.

Cassini intersects the plane of Saturn's rings.

One of the interesting features of Saturn's orbit is the following. Like the Earth, Saturn's rotation axis is tilted relative to the plane of the Sun. Halfway through its orbit, Saturn's south pole faces the Sun, followed by its north pole. During the Saturnian year (almost 30 Earth years), there are periods when the planet is visible from the Earth edge-on and the plane of the giant's rings coincides with our angle of view, and they disappear from view. The thing is that the rings are extremely thin, so from a great distance they are almost impossible to see from the edge. The next time the rings will disappear for the Earth observer is in 2024-2025. Since Saturn's year lasts almost 30 years, since Galileo first observed it through a telescope in 1610, it has orbited the Sun approximately 13 times.

Climatic features

One of interesting facts, is that the planet’s axis is inclined to the ecliptic plane (like the Earth’s). And just like us, there are seasons on Saturn. Halfway through its orbit, the Northern Hemisphere receives more solar radiation, and then everything changes and the Southern Hemisphere is bathed in sunlight. This creates huge storm systems that vary significantly depending on the planet's position in orbit.

Storm in the atmosphere of Saturn. Composite image, artificial colors, MT3, MT2, CB2 filters and infrared data were used

Seasons influence the planet's weather. Over the past 30 years, scientists have found that wind speeds around the planet's equatorial regions have decreased by about 40%. NASA's Voyager probes in 1980-1981 found wind speeds of up to 1,700 km/h, but currently only about 1,000 km/h (2003 measurements).

The time it takes for Saturn to complete a revolution around its axis is 10.656 hours. It took scientists a lot of time and research to find such an accurate figure. Since the planet does not have a surface, there is no way to observe passages of the same areas of the planet, thus estimating its rotation speed. Scientists used the planet's radio emissions to estimate its rotation speed and find the exact length of the day.

Image gallery

Images of the planet taken by the Hubble telescope and the Cassini spacecraft.

Physical properties

Hubble telescope image

The equatorial diameter is 120,536 km, 9.44 times greater than that of the Earth;

The polar diameter is 108,728 km, 8.55 times greater than that of the Earth;

The area of ​​the planet is 4.27 x 10*10 km2, which is 83.7 times larger than that of the Earth;

Volume - 8.2713 x 10 * 14 km3, 763.6 times greater than that of the Earth;

Mass - 5.6846 x 10 * 26 kg, 95.2 times more than that of the Earth;

Density - 0.687 g/cm3, 8 times less than that of the Earth, Saturn is even lighter than water;

This information is incomplete; we will write in more detail about the general properties of the planet Saturn below.

Saturn has 62 moons, in fact about 40% of the moons in our solar system orbit it. Many of these satellites are very small and not visible from Earth. The latter were discovered by the Cassini spacecraft, and scientists expect the spacecraft to find even more icy satellites over time.

Despite the fact that Saturn is too hostile for any form of life that we know, its moon Enceladus is one of the most suitable candidates for the search for life. Enceladus is notable for having ice geysers on its surface. There is some mechanism (probably the tidal influence of Saturn) that creates enough heat for liquid water to exist. Some scientists believe that there is a chance of life on Enceladus.

Planet formation

Like the rest of the planets, Saturn formed from the solar nebula about 4.6 billion years ago. This solar nebula was a vast cloud of cold gas and dust that may have collided with another cloud, or a supernova shock wave. This event initiated the beginning of the compression of the protosolar nebula with the further formation of the Solar System.

The cloud contracted further and further until it formed a protostar at the center, surrounded by a flat disk of material. The inner part of this disk contained more heavy elements, and formed the terrestrial planets, while the outer region was quite cold and, in fact, remained untouched.

The solar nebula material formed more and more planetesimals. These planetesimals collided together, merging into planets. At some point in Saturn's early history, its moon, roughly 300 km across, was torn apart by its gravity and created rings that still orbit the planet today. In fact, the basic parameters of the planet directly depended on the place of its formation and the amount of gas that it was able to capture.

Since Saturn is smaller than Jupiter, it cools faster. Astronomers believe that as soon as its outer atmosphere cooled to 15 degrees Kelvin, helium condensed into droplets that began to descend towards the core. The friction of these droplets has heated the planet, and now it emits about 2.3 times more energy than it receives from the Sun.

Forming rings

View of the planet from space

home distinguishing feature Saturn's rings. How did the rings form? There are several versions. Traditional theory holds that the rings are almost as old as the planet itself and have been around for at least 4 billion years. In the giant's early history, a 300 km satellite came too close to it and was torn to pieces. There is also the possibility that two satellites collided together, or that the satellite was hit by a large enough comet or asteroid and it simply fell apart in orbit.

Alternative ring formation hypothesis

Another hypothesis is that there was no destruction of the satellite. Instead, the rings, as well as the planet itself, were formed from the solar nebula.

But here's the problem: the ice in the rings is too pure. If the rings formed with Saturn, billions of years ago, then we would expect that they would be completely covered in dirt from the effects of micrometeorites. But today we see that they are as pure as if they were formed less than 100 million years ago.

It is possible that the rings are constantly renewing their material by sticking together and colliding with each other, making it difficult to determine their age. This is one of the mysteries that remains to be solved.

Atmosphere

Like the other giant planets, Saturn's atmosphere is made up of 75% hydrogen and 25% helium, with trace amounts of other substances such as water and methane.

Features of the atmosphere

The planet's appearance, in visible light, appears calmer than that of Jupiter. The planet has bands of clouds in its atmosphere, but they are pale orange and faintly visible. The orange color is due to sulfur compounds in its atmosphere. In addition to sulfur, in the upper atmosphere, there are small amounts of nitrogen and oxygen. These atoms react with each other and, when exposed to sunlight, form complex molecules that resemble “smog.” At different wavelengths of light, as well as in Cassini's enhanced images, the atmosphere appears much more impressive and turbulent.

Winds in the atmosphere

The planet's atmosphere produces some of the fastest winds in the solar system (faster only on Neptune). NASA's Voyager spacecraft, which made a flyby of Saturn, measured wind speeds that were found to be around 1,800 km/h at the planet's equator. Large white storms form within bands that orbit the planet, but unlike Jupiter, these storms last only a few months and are absorbed into the atmosphere.

The clouds in the visible part of the atmosphere are composed of ammonia, and are located 100 km below the upper part of the troposphere (tropopause), where the temperature drops to -250 ° C. Below this boundary, the clouds are composed of ammonium hydrosulfide and are approximately 170 km below. In this layer the temperature is only -70 degrees C. The deepest clouds consist of water and are located approximately 130 km below the tropopause. The temperature here is 0 degrees.

The lower, the more pressure and temperature increases and hydrogen gas slowly turns into liquid.

Hexagon

One of the strangest weather phenomena ever discovered is the so-called northern hexagonal storm.

The hexagonal clouds around the planet Saturn were first discovered by Voyagers 1 and 2 after they visited the planet more than three decades ago. Most recently, Saturn's hexagon was photographed in great detail by NASA's Cassini spacecraft, currently in orbit around Saturn. The hexagon (or hexagonal vortex) is about 25,000 km in diameter. It can fit 4 planets like Earth.

The hexagon rotates at exactly the same speed as the planet itself. However, the planet's North Pole is different from the South Pole, which has a huge hurricane with a giant crater in its center. Each side of the hexagon measures about 13,800 km, and the entire structure rotates once on its axis in 10 hours and 39 minutes, the same as the planet itself.

The reason for the formation of a hexagon

So why is the vortex at the North Pole shaped like a hexagon? Astronomers find it difficult to answer this question 100%, but one of the experts and team members in charge of the Cassini visual and infrared spectrometer said: “This is a very strange storm, having precise geometric shapes with six almost identical sides. We've never seen anything like this on other planets."

Gallery of images of the planet's atmosphere

Saturn - planet of storms

Jupiter is known for its violent storms, which are clearly visible through the upper atmosphere, especially the Great Red Spot. But there are also storms on Saturn, although they are not so large and intense, but compared to those on Earth, they are simply huge.

One of the largest storms was the Great White Spot, also known as the Great White Oval, which was observed by the Hubble Space Telescope in 1990. Such storms probably occur once a year on Saturn (once every 30 Earth years).

Atmosphere and surface

The planet closely resembles a ball, made almost entirely of hydrogen and helium. Its density and temperature change as it moves deeper into the planet.

Atmospheric composition

The planet's outer atmosphere consists of 93% molecular hydrogen, the rest helium and trace amounts of ammonia, acetylene, ethane, phosphine and methane. It is these trace elements that create the visible streaks and clouds that we see in the photographs.

Core

General diagram of the structure of Saturn

According to the accretion theory, the planet's core is rocky with a large mass, sufficient to trap large amounts of gases in the early solar nebula. Its core, like that of other gas giants, would have to form and become massive much faster than that of other planets in order to have time to acquire primary gases.

The gas giant most likely formed from rocky or icy components, and the low density indicates a mixture of liquid metal and rock at the core. It is the only planet with a density lower than water. In any case, the internal structure of the planet Saturn is more like a ball of thick syrup mixed with stone fragments.

Metallic hydrogen

The metallic hydrogen in the core generates a magnetic field. The magnetic field created in this way is slightly weaker than that of the Earth and extends only to the orbit of its largest satellite, Titan. Titan contributes to the appearance of ionized particles in the planet's magnetosphere, which create auroras in the atmosphere. Voyager 2 discovered high pressure solar wind on the planet's magnetosphere. According to measurements taken during the same mission, the magnetic field extends only 1.1 million km.

Planet size

The planet has an equatorial diameter of 120,536 km, which is 9.44 times larger than Earth. The radius is 60,268 km, making it the second largest planet in our solar system, second only to Jupiter. It, like all other planets, is an oblate spheroid. This means that its equatorial diameter is greater than the diameter measured across the poles. In the case of Saturn, this distance is quite significant, due to the high speed of rotation of the planet. The polar diameter is 108,728 km, which is 9.796% less than the equatorial diameter, which is why Saturn’s shape is oval.

Around Saturn

Length of day

The speed of rotation of the atmosphere and the planet itself can be measured by three different methods. The first is measuring the speed of rotation of the planet along the cloud layer in the equatorial part of the planet. It has a rotation period of 10 hours and 14 minutes. If measurements are taken in other areas of Saturn, the rotation speed will be 10 hours 38 minutes and 25.4 seconds. Today, the most accurate method for measuring day length is based on measuring radio emissions. This method gives the planet's rotation speed as 10 hours, 39 minutes and 22.4 seconds. Despite these figures, the rate of rotation of the planet's interior cannot currently be accurately measured.

Again, the equatorial diameter of the planet is 120,536 km, and the polar diameter is 108,728 km. It is important to know why this difference in these numbers affects the planet's rotation speed. The situation is the same on other giant planets; the difference in the rotation of different parts of the planet is especially pronounced in Jupiter.

Length of day according to radio emission of the planet

Using radio emission that comes from the inner regions of Saturn, scientists were able to determine its rotation period. Charged particles captured by its magnetic field emit radio waves when they interact with Saturn's magnetic field, at approximately 100 kilohertz.

The Voyager probe measured the planet's radio emissions during the nine months it passed by in the 1980s and the rotation was determined to be 10 hours 39 minutes 24 seconds, with an error of 7 seconds. The Ulysses spacecraft also took measurements 15 years later, and gave a result of 10 hours 45 minutes 45 seconds, with an error of 36 seconds.

It turns out to be a whole 6 minutes difference! Either the planet's rotation has slowed down over the years, or we've missed something. The Cassini interplanetary probe measured these same radio emissions with a plasma spectrometer, and scientists found that in addition to the 6-minute difference in the 30-year measurements, the rotation also changes by one percent per week.

Scientists believe this may be due to two things: solar wind coming from the Sun interferes with measurements, and particles from Enceladus's geysers affect the magnetic field. Both of these factors cause the radio emission to vary, and they can cause different results at the same time.

New data

In 2007, it was found that some point sources of radio emission from the planet do not correspond to the rotation speed of Saturn. Some scientists believe that the difference is due to the influence of Enceladus' moon. The water vapor from these geysers enters the planet's orbit and is ionized, thereby affecting the planet's magnetic field. This slows down the rotation of the magnetic field, but only slightly compared to the rotation of the planet itself. Current estimates of Saturn's rotation, based on various measurements from the Cassini, Voyager and Pioneer spacecraft, are 10 hours, 32 minutes and 35 seconds as of September 2007.

The planet's main characteristics, as reported by Cassini, suggest that the solar wind is the most probable cause differences in data. Differences in magnetic field rotation measurements occur every 25 days, which corresponds to the rotation period of the Sun. The speed of the solar wind is also constantly changing, which must be taken into account. Enceladus may be making long-term changes.

Gravity

Saturn is a giant planet and does not have a solid surface, and what is impossible to see is its surface (we only see the upper cloud layer) and feel the force of gravity. But let's imagine that there is a certain conditional boundary that will correspond to its imaginary surface. What would be the force of gravity on the planet if you could stand on the surface?

Although Saturn has a greater mass than the Earth (the second largest mass in the Solar System, after Jupiter), it is also the “lightest” of all the planets in the Solar System. The actual gravity at any point on its imaginary surface will be 91% of that on Earth. In other words, if your scale shows your weight as 100 kg on Earth (oh, the horror!), on the “surface” of Saturn you would weigh 92 kg (a little better, but still).

For comparison, on the “surface” of Jupiter the gravity is 2.5 times greater than Earth’s. On Mars, only 1/3, and on the Moon 1/6.

What makes gravity so weak? The giant planet consists mainly of hydrogen and helium, which it accumulated at the very beginning of the formation of the Solar System. These elements were formed at the beginning of the Universe as a result of the Big Bang. This is due to the fact that the planet has an extremely low density.

Planet temperature

Voyager 2 image

The uppermost layer of the atmosphere, which is located on the border with space, has a temperature of -150 C. But, as you dive into the atmosphere, the pressure increases and the temperature rises accordingly. In the planet's core, temperatures can reach 11,700 C. But where does such a high temperature come from? It is formed due to a huge amount of hydrogen and helium, which, as it sinks into the bowels of the planet, compresses and heats up the core.

Thanks to gravitational compression, the planet actually generates heat, releasing 2.5 times more energy than it receives from the Sun.

At the bottom of the cloud layer, which consists of water ice, the average temperature is -23 degrees Celsius. Above this layer of ice is ammonium hydrosulfide, with an average temperature of -93 C. Above this lie clouds of ammonia ice, which color the atmosphere orange and yellow.

What does Saturn look like and what color is it?

Even when viewed through a small telescope, the planet's color appears as pale yellow with hints of orange. Using more powerful telescopes such as Hubble or looking at images taken by NASA's Cassini spacecraft, thin layers of clouds and storms can be seen consisting of a mixture of white and orange colors. But what gives Saturn its color?

Like Jupiter, the planet is composed almost entirely of hydrogen, with a small amount of helium, as well as minor amounts of other compounds such as ammonia, water vapor and various simple hydrocarbons.

Only the upper layer of clouds, which mainly consists of ammonia crystals, is responsible for the color of the planet, and the lower level of clouds is either ammonium hydrosulfide or water.

Saturn has a banded atmosphere similar to Jupiter's, but the bands are much weaker and wider near the equator. It also doesn't have long-lived storms - nothing like the Great Red Spot - that often occur when Jupiter approaches time. summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere.

Some of the photos sent back by Cassini appear blue, like Uranus. But that's probably because we're seeing light scattering from Cassini's perspective.

Compound

Saturn in the night sky

The rings around the planet have captured the imagination of people for hundreds of years. It was also natural to want to know what the planet was made of. Using various methods, scientists have learned that chemical composition Saturn's composition is: 96% hydrogen, 3% helium and 1% various elements, which include methane, ammonia, ethane, hydrogen and deuterium. Some of these gases can be found in its atmosphere, in liquid and molten states.

The state of gases changes with increasing pressure and temperature. At the top of the clouds, you will encounter ammonia crystals, at the bottom of the clouds with ammonium hydrosulfide and/or water. Under the clouds, atmospheric pressure increases, which causes an increase in temperature and hydrogen turns into a liquid state. As we move deeper into the planet, pressure and temperature continue to increase. As a result, hydrogen in the core becomes metallic, passing into this special state of aggregation. The planet is believed to have a loose core that, in addition to hydrogen, consists of rock and some metals.

Modern space exploration has led to many discoveries in the Saturn system. Research began with the flyby of the Pioneer 11 spacecraft in 1979. This mission discovered the F ring. The following year, Voyager 1 flew by, sending back to Earth details of the surfaces of some of the moons. He also proved that the atmosphere on Titan is not transparent to visible light. In 1981, Voyager 2 visited Saturn and discovered changes in the atmosphere, and also confirmed the presence of the Maxwell and Keeler gap, which Voyager 1 first saw.

After Voyager 2, the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft arrived in the system, which entered orbit around the planet in 2004; you can read more about its mission in this article.

Radiation

When NASA's Cassini probe first arrived at the planet, it detected thunderstorms and radiation belts around the planet. He even found a new radiation belt located inside the planet's ring. The new radiation belt is 139,000 km from the center of Saturn and extends up to 362,000 km.

Northern Lights on Saturn

Video showing northern, created from images from the Hubble telescope and the Cassini spacecraft.

Due to the presence of a magnetic field, charged particles from the Sun are captured by the magnetosphere and form radiation belts. These charged particles move along magnetic force field lines and collide with the planet's atmosphere. The mechanism of occurrence of the aurora is similar to the Earth's, but due to different composition The atmosphere of the auroras on the giant is purple, in contrast to the green ones on Earth.

Saturn's aurora as seen by the Hubble telescope

Gallery of aurora images

Nearest neighbors

What is the closest planet to Saturn? It depends on where in the orbit it is currently located, as well as the position of other planets.

For most of the orbit, the nearest planet is . When Saturn and Jupiter are at their minimum distance from each other, they are separated by only 655,000,000 km.

When they are located on opposite sides of each other, the planets Saturn sometimes come very close to each other and at this moment they are separated by 1.43 billion km from each other.

General information

The following planetary facts are based on NASA planetary fact sheets.

Weight - 568.46 x 10*24 kg

Volume: 82,713 x 10*10 km3

Average radius: 58232 km

Average diameter: 116,464 km

Density: 0.687 g/cm3

First escape velocity: 35.5 km/s

Gravity acceleration: 10.44 m/s2

Natural satellites: 62

Distance from the Sun (orbital semimajor axis): 1.43353 billion km

Orbital period: 10,759.22 days

Perihelion: 1.35255 billion km

Aphelion: 1.5145 billion km

Orbital speed: 9.69 km/s

Orbital inclination: 2.485 degrees

Orbital eccentricity: 0.0565

Stellar rotation period: 10.656 hours

Rotation period around the axis: 10.656 hours

Axial tilt: 26.73°

Who discovered it: it has been known since prehistoric times

Minimum distance from Earth: 1.1955 billion km

Maximum distance from Earth: 1.6585 billion km

Maximum apparent diameter from Earth: 20.1 arcseconds

Minimum apparent diameter from Earth: 14.5 arcseconds

Visible magnitude (maximum): 0.43 magnitude

Story

Space image taken by the Hubble telescope

The planet is clearly visible to the naked eye, so it is difficult to say when the planet was first discovered. Why is the planet called Saturn? It is named after the Roman god of the harvest - this god corresponds to Greek god Kronos. That is why the origin of the name is Roman.

Galileo

Saturn and its rings were a mystery until Galileo first built his primitive but working telescope and looked at the planet in 1610. Of course, Galileo did not understand what he was seeing and thought that the rings were large satellites on either side of the planet. That was until Christiaan Huygens used a better telescope to see that they weren't actually moons, but rings. Huygens was also the first to discover the largest moon Titan. Despite the fact that the planet's visibility allows it to be observed from almost everywhere, its satellites, like its rings, are visible only through a telescope.

Jean Dominique Cassini

He discovered a gap in the rings, later named Cassini, and was the first to discover the planet's 4 moons: Iapetus, Rhea, Tethys and Dione.

William Herschel

In 1789, astronomer William Herschel discovered two more moons - Mimas and Enceladus. And in 1848, British scientists discovered a satellite called Hyperion.

Before the flight of spacecraft to the planet, we did not know much about it, despite the fact that the planet can be seen even with the naked eye. In the 70s and 80s, NASA launched the Pioneer 11 spacecraft, which became the first spacecraft to visit Saturn, passing within 20,000 km of the planet's cloud layer. It was followed by the launches of Voyager 1 in 1980, and Voyager 2 in August 1981.

In July 2004, NASA's Cassini probe arrived at the Saturn system and, based on its observations, made the most detailed description planet Saturn and its systems. Cassini performed nearly 100 flybys of Titan's moon, several flybys of many other moons, and sent us back thousands of images of the planet and its moons. Cassini discovered 4 new moons, a new ring, and discovered seas of liquid hydrocarbons on Titan.

Extended animation of Cassini's flight through the Saturn system

Rings

They consist of ice particles orbiting the planet. There are several main rings that are clearly visible from Earth, and astronomers use special designations for each of Saturn's rings. But how many rings does the planet Saturn really have?

Rings: view from Cassini

Let's try to answer this question. The rings themselves are divided into the following parts. The two densest parts of the ring are designated as A and B, they are separated by the Cassini gap, followed by the C ring. After the 3 main rings, there are smaller dust rings: D, G, E, as well as the F ring, which is the outermost . So how many main rings? That's right - 8!

These three main rings and 5 dust rings make up the bulk. But there are several more rings, for example Janus, Meton, Pallene, as well as the arc of the Anfa ring.

There are also smaller rings and gaps in various rings that are difficult to count (for example, the Encke gap, Huygens gap, Dawes gap and many others). Further observation of the rings will make it possible to clarify their parameters and quantity.

Disappearing Rings

Due to the inclination of the planet's orbit, the rings become edge-on every 14-15 years, and due to the fact that they are very thin, they actually disappear from the field of view of Earthly observers. In 1612, Galileo noticed that the satellites he had discovered had disappeared somewhere. The situation was so strange that Galileo even abandoned observations of the planet (most likely as a result of the collapse of hopes!). He had discovered the rings (and mistook them for moons) two years earlier and was instantly fascinated by them.

Ring options

The planet is sometimes called the “jewel of the solar system” because its ring system looks like a corona. These rings are made of dust, rock and ice. That's why the rings don't fall apart, because... it is not solid, but consists of billions of particles. Some of the material in the ring system is the size of grains of sand, and some objects are larger than high-rise buildings, reaching a kilometer across. What are the rings made of? Mostly ice particles, although there are also dust rings. What is striking is that each ring rotates at a different speed relative to the planet. The average density of the planet's rings is so low that stars can be seen through them.

Saturn is not the only planet with a ring system. All gas giants have rings. Saturn's rings stand out because they are the largest and brightest. The rings are approximately one kilometer thick and span up to 482,000 km from the planet's center.

The names of Saturn's rings are listed in alphabetical order according to the order in which they were discovered. This makes the rings a little confusing, listing them out of order from the planet. Below is a list of the main rings and the spaces between them, as well as the distance from the center of the planet and their width.

Sounds of rings

In this wonderful video you hear the sounds of the planet Saturn, which are the planet's radio emissions translated into sound. Kilometer-range radio emissions are generated along with auroras on the planet.

Cassini's plasma spectrometer made high-resolution measurements, allowing scientists to convert radio waves into audio by shifting the frequency.

The appearance of rings

How did the rings come about? The simplest answer to why the planet has rings and what they are made of is that the planet has accumulated a lot of dust and ice at various distances from itself. These elements were most likely captured by gravity. Although some believe that they were formed as a result of the destruction of a small satellite, which came too close to the planet and fell into the Roche limit, as a result of which it was torn into pieces by the planet itself.

Some scientists suggest that all the material in the rings is the product of collisions between satellites and asteroids or comets. After the collision, the remnants of the asteroids were able to escape the gravitational pull of the planet and formed rings.

Regardless of which of these versions is correct, the rings are quite impressive. In fact, Saturn is the lord of the rings. After studying the rings, it is necessary to study the ring systems of other planets: Neptune, Uranus and Jupiter. Each of these systems is weaker, but still interesting in its own way.

Gallery of ring pictures

Life on Saturn

It's hard to imagine a planet less hospitable for life than Saturn. The planet is composed almost entirely of hydrogen and helium, with trace amounts of water ice in the lower clouds. Temperatures at the top of the clouds can drop to -150 C.

As you descend into the atmosphere, the pressure and temperature will increase. If the temperature is warm enough that the water does not freeze, then the atmospheric pressure at that level is the same as several kilometers below Earth's oceans.

Life on the planet's satellites

To find life, scientists suggest looking at the planet's satellites. They are composed of significant amounts of water ice, and their gravitational interaction with Saturn likely keeps their insides warm. The moon Enceladus is known to have geysers of water on its surface that erupt almost continuously. It is quite possible that it has huge reserves of warm water under its icy crust (almost like Europa).

Another moon, Titan, has lakes and seas of liquid hydrocarbons and is considered a place that could eventually create life. Astronomers believe that Titan is very similar in composition to Earth in its early history. After the Sun turns into a red dwarf (in 4-5 billion years), the temperature on the satellite will become favorable for the origin and maintenance of life, and a large amount of hydrocarbons, including complex ones, will be the primary “soup”.

Position in the sky

Saturn and its six moons, amateur photo

Saturn is visible in the sky as a fairly bright star. It is best to check the current coordinates of the planet in specialized planetarium programs, for example Stellarium, and events related to its coverage or passage over a particular region, as well as everything about the planet Saturn, can be seen in the article 100 astronomical events of the year. The opposition of a planet always provides a chance to look at it in maximum detail.

Upcoming confrontations

Knowing the ephemeris of the planet and its magnitude, finding Saturn in the starry sky will not be difficult. However, if you have little experience, then searching for it may take a long time, so we recommend using amateur telescopes with a Go-To mount. Use a telescope with a Go-To mount, and you won't need to know the planet's coordinates or where it can currently be seen.

Flight to the planet

How long will the space journey to Saturn take? Depending on which route you choose, the flight may take a different amount of time.

For example: It took Pioneer 11 six and a half years to reach the planet. Voyager 1 arrived in three years and two months, Voyager 2 took four years, and the Cassini spacecraft took six years and nine months! The New Horizons spacecraft used Saturn as a gravitational springboard on its way to Pluto, arriving two years and four months after launch. Why is there such a huge difference in flight times?

The first factor determining flight time

Let's consider whether the spacecraft is launched directly towards Saturn or does it use other celestial bodies as a slingshot along the way?

The second factor determining flight time

This is a type of spacecraft engine, and the third factor is whether we are going to fly past the planet or enter its orbit.

With these factors in mind, let's look at the missions mentioned above. Pioneer 11 and Cassini used the gravitational influence of other planets before heading towards Saturn. These flybys of other bodies added extra years to an already long trip. Voyager 1 and 2 used only Jupiter on their way to Saturn and arrived much faster. The New Horizons ship had several distinct advantages over all other probes. The two main advantages are that it has the fastest and most advanced engine and was launched on a short trajectory to Saturn on its way to Pluto.

Research stages

Panoramic photograph of Saturn taken on July 19, 2013 by the Cassini spacecraft. In the sparse ring on the left, the white dot is Enceladus. The ground is visible below and to the right of the center of the image.

In 1979, the first spacecraft reached the giant planet.

Pioneer-11

Created in 1973, Pioneer 11 flew by Jupiter and used the planet's gravity to change its trajectory and head toward Saturn. It arrived on September 1, 1979, passing 22,000 km above the planet's cloud layer. For the first time in history, he conducted research on Saturn with close range and transmitted close-up photographs of the planet, discovering a previously unknown ring.

Voyager 1

NASA's Voyager 1 probe was the next spacecraft to visit the planet on November 12, 1980. It flew 124,000 km from the planet's cloud layer, and sent a stream of truly priceless photographs back to Earth. They decided to send Voyager 1 to fly around the satellite of Titan, and send its twin brother Voyager 2 to other giant planets. In the end, it turned out that although the device transmitted a lot of scientific information, it did not see the surface of Titan, since it is opaque to visible light. Therefore, in fact, the ship was sacrificed for the sake of the largest satellite, on which scientists had high hopes, and in the end they saw an orange ball, without any details.

Voyager 2

Shortly after Voyager 1's flyby, Voyager 2 flew into the Saturn system and carried out an almost identical program. It reached the planet on August 26, 1981. In addition to the fact that it orbited the planet at a distance of 100,800 km, it flew close to Enceladus, Tethys, Hyperion, Iapetus, Phoebe and a number of other moons. Voyager 2, receiving gravitational acceleration from the planet, headed towards Uranus (successful flyby in 1986) and Neptune (successful flyby in 1989), after which it continued its journey to the boundaries of the Solar System.

Cassini-Huygens

Views of Saturn from Cassini

NASA's Cassini-Huygens probe, which arrived at the planet in 2004, was able to truly study the planet from a permanent orbit. As part of its mission, spaceship delivered the Huygens probe to the surface of Titan.

TOP 10 images of Cassini

Cassini has now completed its main mission and continues to study the system of Saturn and its moons for many years. Among his discoveries are the discovery of geysers on Enceladus, seas and lakes of hydrocarbons on Titan, new rings and moons, as well as data and photographs from the surface of Titan. Scientists plan to end the Cassini mission in 2017, due to cuts in NASA's budget for planetary exploration.

Future missions

The next Titan Saturn System Mission (TSSM) should not be expected until 2020, but rather much later. Using gravitational maneuvers near Earth and Venus, this device will be able to reach Saturn approximately in 2029.

A four-year flight plan is envisaged, in which 2 years are allocated for exploring the planet itself, 2 months for exploring the surface of Titan, which will involve a lander, and 20 months for studying the satellite from orbit. Russia may also take part in this truly grandiose project. The future participation of the federal agency Roscosmos is already being discussed. While this mission is far from being realized, we still have the opportunity to enjoy the fantastic images of Cassini, which it transmits regularly and to which everyone has access just a few days after their transmission to Earth. Happy exploration of Saturn!

Answers to the most common questions

1. Who was the planet Saturn named after? In honor of the Roman god of fertility.
2. When was Saturn discovered? It has been known since ancient times, and it is impossible to determine who first identified it as a planet.
3. How far is Saturn from the Sun? The average distance from the Sun is 1.43 billion km, or 9.58 AU.
4. How to find it in the sky? It is best to use search maps and specialized software, for example, the Stellarium program.
5. What are the coordinates of the planeta? Since this is a planet, its coordinates change; you can find out the ephemeris of Saturn on specialized astronomical resources.