Guide Note

Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun, and it is the second largest planet in the Solar System. The planet's equator is surrounded by a large system of rings in space. Although other planets in the solar system feature similar rings, Saturn's are the largest and most visible.

Fast Facts

1. Named after the Roman god of agriculture
2. Radius: 60,268 kilometers (9.4 times Earth's radius)
3. Circumference: 378,675 kilometers
4. Surface area: 43.5 billion square kilometers
5. Mass: 5.69x10²⁶ kilograms
6. Average distance from the Sun: 1.4 billion kilometers
7. Average distance from Earth: 1.2 billion kilometers¹
8. Atmospheric Composition:
   1. Hydrogen: 96.3%
   2. Helium: 3.25%
   3. Trace amounts of Methane, Ammonia, Hydrogen Deuteride, Ethane²
9. Can be seen from Earth without a telescope
10. Saturn has over 60 known satellites (moons)

Out of Saturn's many moons, Titan is the largest. Titan is larger than both Mercury and Pluto, and is one of the few natural satellites in the solar system known to have its own atmosphere.³