How does saturn rotate

Astronomers enhanced the contrast in this close-up sequence to make Saturn's features more apparent. The close-up views reveal the planet's banded cloud structure, which is similar to Jupiter's. Saturn's clouds, however, are beneath a thick layer of haze. The haze, however, does not obscure several storms - the blue and white spots - in the planet's dynamic atmosphere.

Its axis is also tilted by The result of this is that, like Earth, Saturn goes through seasonal changes during the course of its orbital period. For other half of its orbit, the situation is reversed, with the southern hemisphere receiving more sunlight than the northern hemisphere.

This creates storm systems that dramatically change depending on which part of its orbit Saturn is in. For staters, winds in the upper atmosphere can reach speeds of up to 5oo meters per second 1, feet per second around the equatorial region.

Great White Oval. These spots can be several thousands of kilometers wide, and have been observed on many occasions throughout the past — in , , , , and Since , a large band of white clouds called the Northern Electrostatic Disturbance have been observed, which was spotted by the Cassini space probe. At the north pole, Saturn experiences a hexagonal wave pattern which measures some 30, km 20, mi in diameter, while each of it six sides measure about 13, km 8, mi. This persistent storm can reach speeds of about km per hour mph.

Thanks to images taken by the Cassini probe between and , the storm appears to undergo changes in color from a bluish haze to a golden-brown hue that coincide with the approach of the summer solstice.

This was attributed to an increase in the production of photochemical hazes in the atmosphere, which is due to increased exposure to sunlight. The innermost is the extremely faint D ring, while the outermost to date, revealed in , is so big that it could fit a billion Earths within it.

The Cassini Division, a gap some 2, miles 4, km wide, separates rings B and A. Mysterious spokes have been seen in Saturn's rings, which appear to form and disperse within only a few hours. Scientists have conjectured that these spokes might be composed of electrically charged sheets of dust-size particles created by small meteors impacting the rings, or by electron beams from the planet's lightning.

Saturn's F Ring also has a curious braided appearance. The ring is composed of several narrower rings, and bends, kinks and bright clumps in them can give the illusion that these strands are braided. Impacts from asteroids and comets have also altered the appearance of the rings. Late in its mission, the Cassini spacecraft traveled closer to the rings than any other spacecraft.

The probe collected data that is still being analyzed, but it has already provided insights about the colors of some of Saturn's moons. In the gaps between the rings , the probe found unusually complex chemicals in the "ring rain" of debris falling from the rings into the atmosphere, and made new measurements of the planet's magnetic field, which produces a powerful electron current.

Saturn has at least 62 moons. The largest, Titan , is slightly larger than Mercury, and is the second-largest moon in the solar system behind Jupiter's moon Ganymede. Earth's moon is the fifth largest. Some of the moons have extreme features. And the pressure — the same kind you feel when you dive deep underwater — is so powerful it squeezes gas into a liquid.

Saturn's north pole has an interesting atmospheric feature — a six-sided jet stream. This hexagon-shaped pattern was first noticed in images from the Voyager I spacecraft and has been more closely observed by the Cassini spacecraft since. Spanning about 20, miles 30, kilometers across, the hexagon is a wavy jet stream of mile-per-hour winds about kilometers per hour with a massive, rotating storm at the center.

There is no weather feature like it anywhere else in the solar system. Saturn's magnetic field is smaller than Jupiter's but still times as powerful as Earth's. Saturn, the rings, and many of the satellites lie totally within Saturn's enormous magnetosphere, the region of space in which the behavior of electrically charged particles is influenced more by Saturn's magnetic field than by the solar wind. Aurorae occur when charged particles spiral into a planet's atmosphere along magnetic field lines.

On Earth, these charged particles come from the solar wind. Cassini showed that at least some of Saturn's aurorae are like Jupiter's and are largely unaffected by the solar wind. Instead, these aurorae are caused by a combination of particles ejected from Saturn's moons and Saturn's magnetic field's rapid rotation rate. But these "non-solar-originating" aurorae are not completely understood yet. Introduction Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest planet in our solar system.

Namesake Namesake The farthest planet from Earth discovered by the unaided human eye, Saturn has been known since ancient times. Potential for Life Potential for Life Saturn's environment is not conducive to life as we know it. Size and Distance Size and Distance With a radius of 36, A 3D model of Saturn, the ringed gas giant planet.

This page showcases our resources for those interested in learning more about Saturn and Titan. Saturn and Titan Resources. JPL's lucky peanuts are an unofficial tradition at big mission events.

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