From an average distance of 886 million miles (1.4 billion kilometers), Saturn is 9.5 astronomical units away from the Sun. It also has 29 unconfirmed moons we need to learn more about. It provides a backdrop for numerous science fiction stories, movies and TV shows, comics, and video games, including the Cthulhu Mythos, WALL-E, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Trek, Dead Space 2 and Final Fantasy VII. New analysis of data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft finds auroras at Saturn's poles may keep its atmosphere warm. In Tim Burton's film Beetlejuice, a dusty, fictional Saturn is populated by giant sandworms. Jupiter is the only planet that is bigger. The main rings could almost go from Earth to the moon. The rings we see are made of groups of tiny ringlets that surround Saturn. Saturn has a lovely set of seven main rings with spaces between them. Dr. Lori Glaze Twice every 29 and a half years the great planet Saturn appears ringless. Like fellow gas giant Jupiter, Saturn is a massive ball made mostly of hydrogen and helium. NASA is preparing to send the drone-like Dragonfly to the intriguing moon, Titan. Saturn has 53 known moons with an additional 29 moons awaiting confirmation of their discovery—that is a total of 82 moons. Visit NASA Space Place for more kid-friendly facts. Jupiter is the only planet that is bigger. Saturn is a gas-giant planet and therefore does not have a solid surface like Earth’s. That would take a really big bath tub! It is not the only planet to have rings—made of chunks of ice and rock—but none are as spectacular or as complicated as Saturn's. Spitzer, designed to reveal the far, cold and dusty side of the universe, made discoveries its designers never even imagined, including a previously unseen ring of Saturn. NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has started a road trip that will continue through the summer across roughly a mile (1.6 kilometers) of terrain. NASA scientists have identified a molecule in Titan’s atmosphere that has never been detected in any other atmosphere. The Next Full Moon is the Strawberry Moon, Mead Moon, Honey Moon, Vat Purnima, Poson Poya, and the LRO Moon. It is not like Earth. Few missions have visited Saturn: Pioneer 11 and Voyagers 1 and 2 flew by; But Cassini orbited Saturn 294 times from 2004 to 2017. All you need is a small telescope. If you know your browser is up to date, you should check to ensure that It has a lot of helium. To get the best experience possible, please download a compatible browser. He was the Roman god of farming. Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in our solar system. Visit NASA Space Place for more kid-friendly facts. Saturn isn’t the only planet to have rings, but it definitely has the most beautiful ones. Using data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft, scientists found Titan drifting away from Saturn a hundred times faster than previously understood. Social Media Lead: Saturn spins on its axis very fast. The next full Moon will be on the morning of Halloween, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020, The Moon will appear full for about three days, making this a full Moon weekend. Saturn is the sixth planet from our Sun (a star) and orbits at a distance of about 886 million miles (1.4 billion kilometers) from the Sun. Winds around the equator can be 1,800 kilometers per hour. That's only about 250 miles per hour. NASA Space Place: All About Saturn ›. You may be able to help Curiosity rover drivers better navigate Mars using the online tool AI4Mars to label terrain features. Saturn has a thick atmosphere. If Earth were the size of a nickel, Saturn would be about as big as a volleyball. Fun — and even educational — NASA activities to do at home. Orbit and Rotation Yes, the Sun looks smaller from there. Like Jupiter, Saturn is mostly a ball of hydrogen and helium. Credit: NASA, Image above: Saturn is the only planet that could float in water. But it might have a solid core somewhere in there. They’re made of chunks of ice and rock. The rings are huge but thin. NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Image above: Earth can fit across Saturn nine times. xmlns:xsl='http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform'">. This page showcases our resources for those interested in learning more about Saturn and Titan. Saturn is made mostly of gases. Earthlings cannot see Saturn's rings when the rings are edge-on as viewed from the Earth. The next full Moon will be early Sunday morning, July 5, 2020. It is the second largest planet in our Solar System. Yet, they are less than a kilometer thick. That doesn’t include Saturn’s rings. There also will be a partial penumbral eclipse of the Moon. (Earth is made of rocks and stuff.). The competition will help advance the design of a mechanical rover to explore the surface of Venus. Saturn goes around the Sun very slowly.