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Interesting Saturn Planet Facts

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Interesting Saturn Planet Facts

Saturn is the second largest planet in the solar system in terms of mass and size, as well as the sixth closest planet to the Sun in terms of distance. Saturn is easily visible to the naked eye as a non-twinkling point of light in the night sky. The planet encircled by its magnificent rings is arguably the most sublime object in the solar system when viewed through even a small telescope. Saturn is represented by the symbol. Saturn derives his name from the Roman god of agriculture, who is associated with the Greek deity Cronus, one of the Titans and Zeus' father (the Roman god Jupiter). Saturn, as the planet farthest away from ancient observers, was also noted as the slowest-moving. Saturn's distance from the Sun is 9.5 times that of Earth's, so it takes 29.5 Earth years to complete one solar revolution. Galileo, an Italian astronomer, was the first to use a telescope to observe Saturn in 1610. Although he noticed something odd about Saturn's appearance, the low resolution of his instrument prevented him from determining the true nature of the planet's rings.

Saturn is a gas giant that is mostly made up of hydrogen and helium. Though it may have a solid core, it lacks a distinct surface. Saturn has the shape of an oblate spheroid, meaning it is flattened at its poles and bulges at its equator due to its revolution. Its equatorial and polar radii differ by almost 10%: 60,268 km and 54,364 km, respectively.

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