Ring system
Saturn's rings are made from countless icy pieces, from tiny grains to large chunks. They spread far from the planet.
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Planet lesson
Saturn
Gas giant
Saturn is a gas giant famous for its bright rings made of ice and rock pieces.
Kid fact
Saturn's rings are wide, but many parts are surprisingly thin.
Day
10.7 hours
Year
29.5 Earth years
Moons
146
Temperature
-140 C cloud tops
Low density giant
Saturn is huge but not very dense compared with rocky planets. Like Jupiter, it is mostly hydrogen and helium.
Moon family
Saturn has many moons. Titan has a thick atmosphere, and Enceladus sprays icy material from cracks near its south pole.
Cassini mission
NASA's Cassini spacecraft orbited Saturn for years, studying its rings, storms, moons, and magnetic field.
Look closely
Notice ring gaps, ring shadows, and the soft bands on Saturn's clouds. The rings are wide but very thin.
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