Saturn

views updated

Saturn The sixth planet in the solar system, distant 9.52 AU from the Sun. Its radius is 60 000km, density 704 kg/m3, mass 95 × Earth mass, volume 833 × Earth volume, and it has an equatorial inclination to the ecliptic of 29°. An outer zone of hydrogen and helium is underlain by a zone of metallic hydrogen, around an ice—silicate core. It has 17 known satellites and is famous for its ring system.

More From encyclopedia.com