Its astronomical symbol ( ) has always been representative of a sickle. Saturn is named after the Roman god of wealth and agriculture and father of Jupiter. According to future plans, in 2034, NASA's Dragonfly rotorcraft would make the first flight on the surface of Titan. The Cassini–Huygens probe consisted of two parts: Cassini orbiter (active from 2004 to 2017) and the Huygens probe (landed on Titan in 2005). As of 2023, Saturn has been visited up close by three flyby probes made by NASA – Pioneer 11 (1979), Voyager 1 (1980) and Voyager 2 (1981) – and one made by the European Space Agency, Cassini–Huygens. However, its ring and moons are only discovered with the invention of the telescope in the late 17th century. In English, the planet's name is derived from the Roman god of wealth and agriculture Sāturnus. Saturn is visible to the naked eye and thus it is known since the ancient times. As of May 2023, Saturn has 145 known moons the largest of these moons is Titan, which also has a dense hazy atmosphere. Some of the gaps in Saturn's rings are caused by its shepherd moons, some are due to the larger outer moons destabilizing the rings structure, and a few are still unexplained. Compared to Saturn's age of around 4.5 billion years, these rings are thought to be relatively new and formed around 10–100 million years ago. The rings around Saturn is mostly made out of water ice particles, peppered with carbon and tholins. The planet rotates fast that the planet bulges: its radius around the equator is 60,268 km (37,449 mi) is about 10% more than around the poles at 54,364 km (33,780 mi). In terms of its motion in the Solar System, Saturn rotates once around its axis in around 10.5 hours and orbits one time around the Sun in 29.5 Earth years. Inside the atmosphere are stacked cloud layers, made out of ammonia, water, and ammonium hydrosulfide ice. It is thought to have a rocky core (with a temperature of 11,700 ☌ or 21,100 ☏) surrounded by metallic hydrogen, an intermediate layer of liquid hydrogen and helium, and a gaseous outer atmosphere. Saturn has a magnetosphere with a strength comparable to Earth's and is the reason for the auroras in its outer atmosphere. Its north pole contains a persisting hexagonal storm that currently does not have a definite explanation for its existence. Occasionally, oval-shaped storms would trail across Saturn's atmosphere the biggest of which are the periodic Great White Spots. The planet's yellowish atmosphere is composed of intricate but usually bland-looking bands. With 96% of the planet is made out of lightweight hydrogen, Saturn is also the least dense planet in the Solar System. It is the second-largest planet in the Solar System and the second most massive planet in the Solar System, at 95 times the Earth's mass. Even the basic mass and size data are not very accurate.Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and has an intricate ring system. We know next to nothing about these moons.What role do these moons play with respect to the rings?.Terrile in 1980 from Voyager photos.Ītlas seems to be a shepherd satellite of the A ring. 1990 NASA press release about the discovery of PanĪtlas is the second of Saturn’s known satellites: orbit: 137,670 km from SaturnĪtlas was a Titan condemned by Zeus to support the heavens upon his shoulders son of Iapetus and the nymph Clymene brother of Prometheus and Epimetheus.ĭiscovered by R.
It is possible that there are more moons within Saturn’s rings yet to be discovered. Pan was discovered by reexamining the 10 year old Voyager photos at the predicted spot.
Prior to the discovery of Pan, an analysis of the patterns in the edge of Saturn’s A ring predicted the size and location of a small moon. Small moons near the rings produce wave patterns in the rings. Pan is within the Encke Division in Saturn’s A ring. Showalter in 1990 from Voyager photos taken in 1981 reconfirmed by images from Cassini in 2005. Pan was the god of woods, fields, and flocks, having a human torso and head with a goat’s legs, horns, and ears.ĭiscovered by Mark R. Pan is the innermost of Saturn’s known satellites: orbit: 133,583 km from Saturn
0 kommentar(er)
