Saturn is the second largest planet after Jupiter and also orbits a little further out as the sixth planet from the Sun. Saturn was named after the Roman god of the harvest.
One Saturn day equals 10 1/2 hours on Earth. This means that Saturn is the second fastest spinning planet in the solar system, again playing second fiddle to Jupiter. One Saturn year equals 29 1/2 Earth years. Saturn orbits 9.5 AU from the Sun. 1 AU equals 93 million miles, or the distance from the Sun to Earth; therefore, Saturn is nine and a half times further from the Sun than Earth is.Saturn has been visited by many spacecraft, including Pioneer 11, Voyagers 1 and 2, Cassini, and Huygens.Saturn is categorized as a gas giant planet, with its composition consisting mostly of hydrogen and some helium. Saturn is the least dense of all the planets: If it were placed in a giant ocean, it would float. Its atmosphere gives it an ochre color (yellowish-orange) although cloud mixing through storms may tinge it paler toward white.
Saturn has 34 named moons and other small moons are being found all the time. The largest moon, Titan, is notable for its thick atmosphere. Titan is the second largest moon in the solar system and a good possibility for a place in which life could have taken hold. An "icy volcano" was recently found on Titan, signifying warm watery conditions, which is considered an excellent medium for life to evolve in.
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