Saturn

The second largest planet in our solar system, 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 of mostly hydrogen and helium. Surrounding by 53 confirmed and nine provisional moons, Saturn is home to some of the most fascinating landscapes in our solar system. From the jets of Enceladus to the methane lakes on smoggy Titan, the Saturn system is a rich source of scientific discovery and still holds many mysteries. The farthest planet from Earth observable by the unaided human eye, Saturn has been known since ancient times and is named for the Roman god of agriculture and wealth. The Greek equivalent was Cronos, the father of Zeus/Jupiter.

Overview The second largest planet in our solar system, 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 of mostly hydrogen and helium.

Learn about the physical characteristics of Saturn and its famous rings, what we know about Saturn’s moons and Saturn’s roots in Greek mythology.

Saturn’s rings do more than just look pretty. New data from the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft orbiting the planet shows their shadow can actually change the planet’s atmosphere.

In Roman mythology, Saturn is the god of agriculture. The associated Greek god, Cronus, was the son of Uranus and Gaia and the father of Zeus (Jupiter). Saturn is the root of the English word "Saturday".

Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the most distant that can be seen with the naked eye. Saturn is the second largest planet and is best known for its fabulous ring system that was first observed in 1610 by the astronomer Galileo Galilei.

Contact has been lost with the Cassini spacecraft after it completed a "death dive" into the upper atmosphere of Saturn and transmitted its final signal, according to NASA.

The farthest planet from the Sun that can be observed with the naked eye, the existence of Saturn has been known for thousands of years.

We recently published an article naming Jupiter “the best planet.” As everyone knows, Saturn is the best planet. We regret the error.

Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and is the second largest in the solar system with an equatorial diameter of 119,300 km. Saturn is visibly flattened at the poles, a result of the very fast rotation of the planet on its axis.

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