Saturn

Saturn is a giant planet in our solar system. It is the sixth planet from the Sun. Saturn is best known for its beautiful rings that circle around it. It is the second largest planet, after Jupiter. Saturn is so big that more than 700 Earths could fit inside it.

A Gas Giant

Saturn is called a gas giant. This means it is made mostly of gas, not rock. The main gases are hydrogen and helium. Saturn does not have a solid surface like Earth. If you tried to stand on it, you would just sink into the clouds. Deep inside, the gas gets squeezed so hard that it turns into liquid.

The Famous Rings

Saturn's rings are made of billions of pieces of ice and rock. Some pieces are as small as dust. Others are as big as a house. The rings look solid from far away, but they are really thin. Scientists think the rings may have come from old moons or comets that broke apart long ago.

Moons of Saturn

Saturn has a lot of moons. Scientists have found more than 140 of them. The biggest moon is called Titan. Titan is even bigger than the planet Mercury. Titan has thick clouds and lakes made of liquid gas. Another cool moon is Enceladus, which shoots icy water into space.

A Year on Saturn

Saturn is very far from the Sun. It takes about 29 Earth years for Saturn to go around the Sun one time. But a day on Saturn is very short. It spins so fast that one day lasts only about 10 and a half hours.

Fun Facts

• Saturn is so light that it could float in a giant bathtub of water, if one were big enough.
• The winds on Saturn can blow faster than 1,000 miles per hour.
• Saturn has been visited by spacecraft, including one called Cassini, which studied it for 13 years.

Did You Know?

Saturn's rings are about 170,000 miles wide, but in some places they are only about 30 feet thick. That is thinner than a football field is long!