Planet with rings - amazing Saturn

Saturn – large celestial body, located in sixth place from the Sun. Known to this planet with the rings since ancient times. Saturn is one of the giant planets constituting the Solar system.

General information

A planet with rings, removed from the Sun of 1.43 billion kilometers. This distance is almost 9.5 times more than our planet to the stars. Sirius makes one revolution around our sun for of 29.4 earth years.

Saturn – the planet is unique. It is heavier than the Earth in 95 times. While in diameter it is most 9 times. Density equal to 0.69 g/cubic cm – this is lower than that of water. If we assume that the space stretches endless ocean, Sirius would be in it could swim! All of the other planets of the system the density of water – some – slightly, some – a lot. Such low density and very rapid rotation around its axis compresses the planet more than any other. Its radius at the equator is nearly 11% more than at the poles. Such a strong compression can not be overlooked in a telescope – the planet is visible flattened, not round.

Planet with rings has no solid surface. The fact that the Earth seems to surface, is actually the clouds. The top layer – frozen ammonia, below are hydrosolidarity clouds. What a deeper dive into the atmosphere of Saturn, the becomes hotter and the density – above. Around the middle of the radius of the hydrogen becomes metallic.

Rings

Previously it was thought that Saturn-the only planet in the Solar system that has rings. However, today we know that this statement is incorrect. All four gas giants have rings. But not for nothing that Saturn is known as the planet with rings. The fact that she has the most significant and unique rings, from other planets, they are visible not always and not in any telescope.

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As expected Huygens in 1659, the ring – not one solid body, it is billions and billions of very small particles rotating in a circle.

All around Saturn rotates four rings-three main and one subtle. All the rings reflect more light than the planet itself. Central ring – the most vivid and wide, it is separated from the outer ring gap Cassini, a component of almost 4 thousand kilometers. In this slit the translucent ring. Outer ring split band ENKA. Inner ring – almost smoke, so it is transparent.

In reality, these rings are very thin. Their thickness – less than a thousand meters, while the diameter – more than 250 kilometers. It seems that these rings are very powerful and bulky, but it was calculated that if you collect all of the material, their component, one “pile”, the diameter of this body will be no more than 100 km.

Image that we were given the probes are given to understand that the rings are composed of many small rings, resembling a track record. A large part of the particles that make up the ring do not exceed several centimeters. A few of them more than a few meters. And it is unit-1-2 mile. Most likely, they all consist of ice or of substances like stone, but covered with ice.

Scientists are unsure of the origin of the rings. There is a theory that they arose simultaneously with the planet. In any case, the matter component of the ring, constantly replaced, adding to, perhaps due to the destruction of small satellites.

Satellites

By the end of February 2010, it was aware of 62 satellites of Saturn. Most of them rotates around its axis with the same speed around the planet, so they always turned to one side.

The largest moon of Saturn-Titan. At the moment there is a version that is now on the Titan the conditions are similar to those that were 4 billion years ago on Earth, when life was hardly born.

Between the satellites and the rings, there is complete consistency. Some of them, according to the observations of scientists, are "shepherds" of the ring, keeping them in their places.

Research

Planet with rings interested people in 1609, when Galileo began observing her. Since then, studies of the planet was conducted with many telescopes, and in 1997 was launched the research unit. In July 2004, he entered the orbit of the planet. In addition, the probe "Huygens" descended to Titan to explore its surface.

Interesting

A planet surrounded by rings, has no solid surface. Its density is lower than that of all bodies in the Solar system. Is planet of the lightest elements of the periodic system – helium and hydrogen.

Clouds of Saturn form an almost regular hexagon. It was discovered in 1980 flying by "Voyager". This phenomenon was not observed in any other place in the Solar system. Moreover, this form of cloud on the North pole of the planet was kept for 20 years.

The North pole of Saturn can boast the Northern lights, who had never seen scientists in other places. Their uniqueness not only in the fact that the glow is blue and the clouds reflected the red color, but in the fact that the glow covers the entire pole, while on Jupiter and Earth just surroundthe magnetic poles. Shots ring auroras of Saturn provide an opportunity to suspect that the charged Sun particles are exposed to other magnetic forces, the nature of which is not currently investigated.