All About Saturn

Shannon Flynn
March 31, 2014
All Rights Reserved

All About Saturn

 

                Saturn is a planet that everyone thinks they seem to know. But the fact is, there are things about him that may astonish you. Saturn is a very surprising planet, and it has been surprising to scientist for years. So, why don't we take a closer look at him, and see what he's really like?

            Saturn's structure is pretty amazing. It consists of mainly helium and hydrogen. This makes it a gas planet. Gas planets are most of the time enormous, like Saturn's brother Jupiter. You would be able to fit approximately 1,072 Earth's inside Saturn. That's a lot! Saturn's inner heat is up to 22,000°F. That's 13,300°F more than our inner heat. Going on that note, Saturn radiates 82% more of this heat than the sun. How cool is that? Saturn's magnetic field, 550 times stronger than Earth. Ironically, although we are weaker than Saturn in that aspect, Saturn is weaker than Jupiter. And what fascinates scientist the most, is that Saturn's magnetic field is perfectly aligned with its axis. How?  Well a magnetic field is not a circle ball, but in a way that you can understand, it is invisible lines and waves around a planet that keeps the solar flares from the sun from reaching into the atmosphere, and scorching everything in sight. Usually, a magnetic field and a planet will not be perfectly aligned, which Saturn is an exception to that rule. The surface of Saturn is fascinating as well. Because it is a gas planet, it has very violent winds and storms that range from day to day. What is cool about these storms, is that astronomers have noticed that certain storms happen in a certain part of Saturn's seasons. Also the average temperature on Saturn on the surface is -288°F, which is obviously a lot colder than Earth.

            Saturn's outer planetary structure is what most people think they know about the most. But the thing that are about to be said will not only fascinate you, but surprise you. Obviously, Saturn has rings. A ring on a planet is basically nothing but debris, dust and space rock that has been attracted into an orbital fashion around a planet by its gravity. But Saturn's rings are surprising in their structure, and do not follow the usual structure of a ringed planet. Saturn's rings are surprisingly flat, only tens of meters thick. Also, the rings are very bright, not charcoal black like most planets. The main rings, are rings A, B, and C. Ring A is very translucent, and you can see the Saturn on the other side if you put it up next to him. And while Ring B is the densest of all the rings, and Ring C's density varies on what angle you are looking at it. There are other rings, but for the sake of time, they cannot be talked about now. Likewise, another whole paper could be done about Saturn's moons, but the talk of them will be kept in short. Saturn has three types of moons: irregular moons, regular moons, and ringed moons. Some of Saturn's many irregular moons are: Mimas, Tellys, Dione, Rhea, and Hyperion.  An irregular moon is basically a smaller and more icy version of our own. There are in total 26 of these irregular moons, which there are hundreds of these regular ones being found by the year. The biggest (and the most well known) of these regular moons is Titan. Titan is larger than two planets. Being like its big daddy, its average temperature is the same that of Saturn's, which makes its water frozen solid.
            When Galileo noticed Saturn in the sky with his telescope in 1610, he must have noticed that he had an interesting and sad legend behind him. Being that Galileo had grown up in the 1600's, he must have heard and knew the story extremely well. He knew that Saturn was the Roman god for agriculture. Here was where the corn god, Cronus, dwelled. Cronus' father Uranus, was threatening to kill his Cronus'  children, when Cronus told his father that that wouldn't happen. Quickly, he tried to hide his children, but in the end had to kill his father with a sickle, which is why he became the corn god. Later on, he raised his children, which one of them became the god of Earth: Zeus. But, what does this have to with the planet Saturn? Galileo must have thought the same question as he looked at the magnificent and terrifying giant in the sky. The Romans had a pretty good imagination to think of such a story, but it does fit in with the question. What does the mythical story  have to do with the planet? Every bit of it does. When the Romans looked up in the night sky and saw this beauty, they noticed how terrifying and beautiful it was, just as the god Cronus was. He was gentle and sweet, but very protective of his children. Even to the point of defying his own father and killing him. That has meaning to it, but there was one thing I think the Ancient Romans missed. The fact that the planet exists in the sky, in that such of a way, means that there must have been a more beautiful and terrifying creator behind it. Sadly, what the Romans had missed, was that the Creator, was giving them a glimpse of what His glory was like. And in my heart I think Galileo knew that; just by taking a closer look at this magnificent beauty we all call Saturn.

 

Image taken from:  http://nineplanets.org/saturn.html