What are the energy sources on Saturn?
Scientists accept that Saturn draws its extra energy from two sources: (1) heat left over from the planet’s formation approximately 4.5 billion years ago, still radiating out into space, and (2) the “raining out” of atmospheric helium.
How does Saturn produce energy?
Saturn’s excess heat is generated by the precipitation of helium into its metallic hydrogen core. As the helium at a higher level drizzles down through the surrounding hydrogen, the helium converts some of its energy to heat.
What are Saturn’s resources?
Like Jupiter, Saturn is made mostly of hydrogen and helium. Its volume is 755 times greater than that of Earth.
Why does Saturn radiate more energy?
Scientists believe this extra energy results from a phenomenon called helium rain. Saturn’s more rapid cooling allowed helium droplets to form in its atmosphere, and because they are heavier than hydrogen, they fall toward the center of the planet.
Why is Saturn so special?
Adorned with thousands of beautiful ringlets, Saturn is unique among the planets. 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. Like fellow gas giant Jupiter, Saturn is a massive ball made mostly of hydrogen and helium.
Does Saturn produce its own light?
The planet Saturn not only reflects sunlight better than most of the terrestrial planets in the solar system, but it radiates with its own light. The planet has a distinctive yellow color, which is caused by the presence of ammonia ice in the thick clouds in its upper atmosphere that shroud its complex atmosphere.
What does it rain on Saturn?
On the planet of the rings the atmosphere holds a treasure: real showers made from diamonds. What makes precious stones rain down on this planet? On Saturn, the combination of methane with storms produces a shower of diamonds.
How is the wind like on Saturn compared to the Earth?
(Earth is made of rocks and stuff.) It is very windy on Saturn. Winds around the equator can be 1,800 kilometers per hour. That’s 1,118 miles per hour! On Earth, the fastest winds “only” get to about 400 kilometers per hour. That’s only about 250 miles per hour. Saturn goes around the Sun very slowly. A year on Saturn is more than 29 Earth years.
Is the planet Saturn made of ice and rock?
Saturn isn’t the only planet to have rings, but it definitely has the most beautiful ones. The rings we see are made of groups of tiny ringlets that surround Saturn. They’re made of chunks of ice and rock. Like Jupiter, Saturn is mostly a ball of hydrogen and helium. Visit NASA Space Place for more kid-friendly facts.
What are the most interesting facts about Saturn?
1 Each of Saturn’s main rings consists of thousands of narrower rings separated by gaps. 2 The atmosphere of Saturn’s moon Titan is denser than that of Earth. 3 Another moon, Mimas, is interesting because of the giant crater Herschel located on its surface. 4 The change of seasons on Saturn is expressed vividly.
Is it possible for Saturn to support life?
Saturn cannot support life as we know it, but some of Saturn’s moons have conditions that might support life. About two tons of Saturn’s mass came from Earth—the Cassini spacecraft was intentionally vaporized in Saturn’s atmosphere in 2017. Perhaps the most iconic of all the planets in our solar system, Saturn is heavily present in pop culture.