Universe Today
The following Saturn fact sheet is based on NASA's excellent planetary fact sheets. Saturn is the 6th planet from the Sun, and the second largest planet in the Solar System.
Mass: 568.46 x 1024 kg Volume: 82,713 x 1010 km3 Average radius: 58,232 km Average diameter: 116,464 km Mean density: 0.687 g/cm3 Escape velocity: 35.5 km/s Surface gravity: 10.44 m/s2 Natural satellites: 60 Rings? - Yes Semimajor axis: 1,433,530,000 km Orbit period: 10,759.22 days Perihelion: 1,352,550,000 km Aphelion: 1,514,500,000 km Mean orbital velocity: 9.69 km/s Orbit inclination: 2.485° Orbit eccentricity: 0.0565 Sidereal rotation period: 10.656 hours Length of day: 10.656 hours Axial tilt: 26.73° Discovery: Known since prehistoric times Minimum distance from Earth: 1,195,500,000 km Maximum distance from Earth: 1,658,500,000 km Maximum apparent diameter from Earth: 20.1 arc seconds Minimum apparent diameter from Earth: 14.5 arc seconds Maximum visual magnitude: 0.43
We've written many articles about Saturn for Universe Today. Here's an article about the rotation of Saturn, and here's an article about the atmosphere of Saturn.
If you'd like more info on Saturn, check out Hubblesite's News Releases about Saturn. And here's a link to the homepage of NASA's Cassini spacecraft, which is orbiting Saturn.
We've also recorded an entire episode of Astronomy Cast just about Saturn. Listen here, Episode 59: Saturn.
