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saturne

Saturn

Saturn: The beauty of the rings.

Saturn's symbolSaturn
Diametr 120 000 km
Mass 5,7*10^26 kg
Density 690 kg/m^3
The period of rotation 10 h 40 min 30 sec
The average distance from the Sun 9,54 Ю.u.
The period of revolution 29,46 years
Excentricity of the orbit 0,056
The orbit’s slope 2,5°
Saturn

The sixth from the Sun planet, the second after Jupiter if comparing their dimensions. Belongs to the giant planets. It has no definite solid surface. There are CH4, H2, NH3, in its composition. The planet has also the radiation fields. The free fall acceleration at the Saturn surface near equator is 9,06 m/s^2

The composition and structure. Some physical parameters.

The temperature in the middle Layers of atmosphere (mostly hydrogen with some helium, ammonia and methane) is about 100K.

By its internal structure and composition Saturn resembles Jupiter. 2/3 of Saturn is hydrogen, but inside (r/2 - the half of the radius deepness) hydrogen turns into metal phase under the pressure 300 MPa. In the centre of the planet the temperature is about 20000K.

The satellites.

Saturn has17 satellites (their radiuses in kilometres and middle distances from Saturn in thousand kilometres in brackets): Atlas (20; 137,7), Pandora (70; 130,4), Prometey (55; 141,7), Epimetiy (70; 151,4), Janus (110;151,5), Mimas(136; 185,5), Entselad (250; 238), Tephia (530; 294,7), Telesto (17; 294,7), Calipso (17; ?), Diana (560; 377,4), 198S6 (18; 377,4), Rea (754; 527,1), Titan (2575; 1221,9), Hipenion (205; 1481), Japet (730; 3560,8), Feha (110; 12954).

All the satellites except the giant Titan which is greater than Mercury and has it atmosphere, are made of ice. The unique brightness of Entselad is beautiful. It reflects the light like clean snow.

From all the big Saturn satellites only Hiperion has an irregular form, perhaps because of the former collision w ith a massive body. It might be a giant icy meteorite. The surface of hiperion is greatly contaminated. The surfaces of many satellites are seriusly craterized. So in Diona's surface there is the greatest 10 km long crater and in Mimas's surface there is a crater the wall of which is so great that is perfectly seen in the snapshots. Besides the craters in the surfaces of some satellites there are fractures, furrows and hallows. The greatest tectonics and volcanic activity is found in Entzelad.

The rings of Saturn.

The rings of SaturnNowadays we know 7 rings of Saturn, three of them are seen from the Earth. The brightest ring is the middle one; the thickness of the rings is 1 - 4 km. The rings consists of the icy and (or) silicate formations. It is proved that Saturn's rings (as well as the other planet's) are the fragments of the great cloud being near the planet with million kilometres length (see how the rings were formed).