Gas Giant · Ring Planet
Saturn
Saturn's spectacular ring system - made of ice and rock spanning 282,000 km - makes it the most visually striking planet. It is so light it would float in water. Its moon Titan has a thick nitrogen atmosphere and hydrocarbon lakes.
Overview
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Atmosphere composition
Hydrogen
96%
Helium
3%
Methane
0.4%
Ammonia
0.01%
Other
0.59%
Notable features
- Ring system spanning 282,000 km, only 10-1,000 m thick
- Titan - only moon with a dense atmosphere and liquid surface lakes
- Enceladus - water ice geysers from a subsurface ocean
- Hexagonal polar storm at the north pole
Space missions
| Mission | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pioneer 11 | 1979 | First spacecraft to visit Saturn |
| Voyager 1 & 2 | 1980-81 | Detailed flyby; ring & moon discoveries |
| Cassini-Huygens | 2004-2017 | 13-year orbit; Huygens landed on Titan |
| Dragonfly | 2028 planned | NASA rotorcraft to explore Titan's surface |
NASA images
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Images courtesy of NASA Image & Video Library.