Saturn Flashcards
What are the basics about Saturn?
- At an average distance of just under 10 AU,
Saturn takes over 29 years to orbit the Sun - Receives roughly 1/100th of the radiation the
Earth receives so its outer layers are very cold –less than 100 K - Rotates rapidly like Jupiter in just over 10 hours
- Saturn is only slightly smaller than Jupiter (9.5x
the Earth) but much less massive (95x Earth).
This means it has the lowest density of any planet in the solar system
What did Cassini Mission do?
Studied Saturn and its moons from orbit from 2004 until 2017
What are Ring Crossings?
Twice every orbit rings are seen edge-on as we cross the plane of the rings:
Essentially disappear so must be very thin;
Width 200,000 km, Thickness only 10-15 m
What is Saturn’s Atmospheric Composition?
Similar to Jupiter but deficient in helium
What is Saturn’s Atmospheric Structure?
Similar to Jupiter with three main cloud layers and haze layer below surface
Cloud layers thicker
Atmosphere more spread out
What is Helium Rain?
Inside Jupiter helium dissolves in liquid hydrogen
Inside Saturn where temperatures and pressures are lower helium does not dissolve but form droplets instead
Helium rains out into the interior generating additional heat as it is compressed by gravity
How is Saturn’s magnetic field?
Less metallic hydrogen and slower rotation results in a weaker magnetic field
1/20th of the strength of Jupiter’s field
Still 1000x stronger than the Earth’s
What are Saturn’s rings made of?
Made of pieces of highly reflective water ice
ranging in size from snowflakes large boulders
What is the motion of rings’ particles?
Behave like tiny moons obeying Kepler’s Laws of motion
What is Tidal Breakup?
At the Roche limit tidal forces exceed the gravity holding it together and it breaks apart
What causes the gaps in the rings?
The small gaps are cleared out by small moonlets orbiting within the gaps
What is the relationship between Mimas and the Cassini Division?
The particles in the Cassini division are in a 2:1 resonance with the moon Mimas
What is the F ring?
Faint and narrow with complex braided structure;
Held in place by two shepherd moons Prometheus and
Pandora
What is Titan?
Saturn’s largest moon. Second largest moon in the solar system. Only moon to have an atmosphere
Titan’s Bulk Composition?
Similar to other large Jovian moons
Mixture of rock and ice
Surface made of water ice
