Saturn Wagon 2005

Saturn Wagon 2005

Saturn Wagon 2005

Saturn is the furthest planet from Earth that can be seen in the night sky with the naked eye while stargazing. Saturn is the second largest planet and has its own miniature solar system consisting of at least 23 moons. Similar to Jupiter, the planet of Saturn has a rocky core. This rocky core is covered by a layer of liquid metallic hydrogen, then an ocean of liquid hydrogen and the outer layer or atmosphere mainly consists of hydrogen and helium.

Viewing Saturn while Stargazing

A star chart may be required to locate the planet of Saturn in the night sky. The set of rings around Saturn causes it to appear as an oval shape through a telescope. The planet of Saturn has three rings which circle the equator and always point in the same direction out into space. The planet spins on its axis at a tilt and takes approximately 10.5 hours to make one rotation, this speed causes the gases of Saturn to bulge at the equator and flatten at the poles, also making it appear an oval shape in the night sky. Different views of the rings can be seen as the planet spins and orbits around the sun, taking 30 years for one orbit.