What Is Makes Up The Planet Saturn?

Welcome back my fellow learners, as promised more information on our solar system, and the planets within it.

Saturn is sixth from the sun, and the second biggest planet in the entire solar system. Even though the other giants found in our solar system, which are Uranus, Jupiter, and Neptune also possess rings, Saturn is without a doubt the most beautiful.

Saturn is Roman name for Cronus, who in Greek mythology was lord of the Titans. Saturn is also where the English word Saturday is derived from.

Characteristics of Saturn

Saturn is comprises mostly of helium and hydrogen. It is large enough to house more than 760 of our plant Earth, and is bigger than any planet with the exception of Jupiter, it is approximately 95 times of our Earth's mass. But, Saturn has the lowest density of every planet, and is the only planet less dense than water, if it were to be placed in a massive body of water, Saturn would actually float.

Saturn is farthest from Earth, and can actually be seen by the naked eye. The yellow and gold bars visible in its atmosphere are due to the fast winds found in the upper atmosphere, these winds sometimes reach 1,100 mph, mixed with rising heat emitted from the planet's interior.

With the exception of Jupiter, Saturn spins more than any other planet, finishing a rotation every 10 to 11 hours. This spinning makes Saturn bulge at its equator, and flatten at the poles, it is 8,000 miles wider from its equator than between the 2 poles.

Saturn's recent curiosity is the giant hexagon around its north pole, with each side almost 7,500 miles wide, this is large enough to fit 4 of our planet earth inside. Thermal images prove that it reaches around 60 miles into the planet's atmosphere. It still remains uncertain what makes this occur.