Saturn is a gas giant composed predominantly of hydrogen and helium. It lacks a definite surface, though it may have a solid core. Saturn’s rotation causes it to have the shape of an oblate spheroid ; that is, it is flattened at the poles and bulges at its equator.
What is the shape of the Saturn?
Saturn is a gas giant composed predominantly of hydrogen and helium. It lacks a definite surface, though it may have a solid core. Saturn’s rotation causes it to have the shape of an oblate spheroid ; that is, it is flattened at the poles and bulges at its equator.
What is the size and shape of Saturn?
Saturn’s diameter, radius and circumference
All of the gas giants in the solar system bear the same shape of an oblate spheroid , but on Saturn the condition is the most pronounced, with the polar radius (33,780 miles, or 54,364 km) only about 90 percent that of the equatorial radius (37,449 miles, or 60,268 km).
How does Saturn look like?
Adorned with thousands of beautiful ringlets , Saturn is unique among the planets. It is not the only planet to have rings – made of chunks of ice and rock – but none are as spectacular or as complicated as Saturn’s. Like fellow gas giant Jupiter, Saturn is a massive ball made mostly of hydrogen and helium.
What is the shape of Uranus?
Radius, diameter and circumference
At the poles, Uranus has a radius of 15,517 miles (24,973 km), but at the equator, it expands to 15,882 miles (25,559 km). This bulge gives Uranus a shape known as an oblate spheroid .
What planet rains diamonds?
Deep within Neptune and Uranus , it rains diamonds—or so astronomers and physicists have suspected for nearly 40 years. The outer planets of our Solar System are hard to study, however. Only a single space mission, Voyager 2, has flown by to reveal some of their secrets, so diamond rain has remained only a hypothesis.
What is the storm on Saturn called?
Cassini scientists found that Saturn’s seasonal storm, also known as the Great White Spot , kicks up water vapor and other materials up from as deep as 100 miles (160 kilometers) below the cloud tops.
How was Saturn named?
The farthest planet from Earth discovered by the unaided human eye, Saturn has been known since ancient times. The planet is named for the Roman god of agriculture and wealth , who was also the father of Jupiter.
Does Saturn float on water?
Saturn could float in water because it is mostly made of gas . ... Saturn spins on its axis very fast. A day on Saturn is 10 hours and 14 minutes. The Ringed Planet is so far away from the Sun that it receives much less sunlight than we do here on Earth.
Can we breathe on Saturn?
First, you can’t stand on Saturn . It’s not a nice, solid, rocky planet like Earth. Rather, it’s made mostly of gases. ... With these wind speeds, even if there was oxygen in Saturn’s atmosphere, you still wouldn’t be able to breathe because the air would be sucked from your lungs.
What are 5 facts about Saturn?
- Saturn is the most distant planet that can be seen with the naked eye. ...
- Saturn was known to the ancients, including the Babylonians and Far Eastern observers. ...
- Saturn is the flattest planet. ...
- Saturn orbits the Sun once every 29.4 Earth years. ...
- Saturn’s upper atmosphere is divided into bands of clouds.
Does it rain diamonds on Saturn?
New research by scientists apparently shows that it rains diamonds on Jupiter and Saturn . ... According to the research lightning storms on the planets turn methane into soot which hardens into chunks of graphite and then diamonds as it falls.
Why Uranus is sideways?
The ice giant is surrounded by 13 faint rings and 27 small moons as it rotates at a nearly 90-degree angle from the plane of its orbit . This unique tilt makes Uranus appear to spin on its side, orbiting the Sun like a rolling ball.
Which planet has longest year?
Given its distance from the Sun, Neptune has the longest orbital period of any planet in the Solar System. As such, a year on Neptune is the longest of any planet, lasting the equivalent of 164.8 years (or 60,182 Earth days).
Who named Uranus?
It was German astronomer Johann Bode who recommended the name Uranus, a Latinized version of the Greek god of the sky, Ouranos; however, the name Uranus didn’t gain full acceptance until the mid-1800s.
