Saturn

by Liam O'Connor
Saturn

Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant with an average radius about nine times that of Earth. It has only one-eighth the average density of Earth, but with its larger volume Saturn is over 95 times more massive. Saturn is named after the Roman god of agriculture; its astronomical symbol (☾) represents his sickle.
Saturn’s interior is probably composed of a core of iron–nickel and rock (silicon and oxygen compounds), surrounded by a deep layer of metallic hydrogen, an intermediate layer of liquid hydrogen and liquid helium, and finally outside it a gaseous outer layer. This atmosphere, which is mostly hydrogen with small amounts of helium and trace compounds, gives Saturn its large pale yellow appearance. The temperature at Saturn’s cloud tops generally varies between −178 °C (−288 °F) on he night side to −143 °C (−225 °F) near noon, making it colder than Jupiter but warmer than Neptune.[N 1]
Wind speeds on Saturn can reach 1,800 km/h (1,100 mph), higher than on any other planet in the Solar System. Though not visible to unaided human eyesight, Saturn’s rings are easily visible through binoculars or a small telescope: their plane appears almost as wide as that of Uranus’ orbit around the Sun

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