Saturn

2733 Words6 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The rings of Saturn astronomy essay

Saturn

Saturn is one of the most interesting planets in the solar system. It is the sixth planet in the solar system, and is most famous for its stunning array of rings. It is a very easy planet to pick out in the sky because it is one of the brightest lights in the shy. It also has a very faint greenish color that makes it stand out from the rest of the objects in the sky (“Astronomy for Kids”). Saturn is the second largest planet in the solar system, Jupiter being the only planet that is bigger. It also has at least eighteen moons, more than any other planet in the solar system. There have been three voyages to this extraordinary planet, and one is still in process today. The Pioneer II traveled to Saturn in September of 1979, the Voyager missions took place in the 1980’s and the Cassini probe began it’s voyage in October of 1997 (Kuhn 280-282). There are many aspects of Saturn that make it one of the most extraordinary planets in this solar system.

Galileo Galilei was the first to view Saturn’s system of rings in the year 1610. Because he happened to be viewing their edge, he failed to recognize them as rings. In fact, he mistakenly interpreted the rings to be two moons similar to those he had discovered near the planet Jupiter. In 1655, a Dutch astronomer named Christiaan Huygens was able to discern what Galileo had thought to be moons as rings. Huygens benefited from a much improved telescope than that used by Galileo. A second moon of Saturn called Iapetus was found by the Italian astronomer Cassini in 1671. He also discovered, in 1675, that Saturn had more than one ring, i.e. a concentric pair of rings. A third ring was discovered by Johann Franz Encke in 1837 using a telescope at the Berlin observatory. Until Pioneer II approached Saturn in September of 1979, the planet was thought to have but three rings (Yenne 125).

Saturn is the sixth planet in the solar system, located between Jupiter and Uranus. Its average distance from the Sun is over 850 million miles, compared to Earth’s which is 93 million miles. Saturn’s orbit, the path it follows around the Sun, is nearly a circle. The closest the planet has come to the Sun is around 840 million miles, while the furthest away it gets is 930 million miles. Since Saturn is so far away from the Sun, it takes a very long time for it to complete its orbit of the Sun. Sa...

... middle of paper ...

... and its moons in August 1981. The Cassini probe is exploring many of Saturn’s characteristics from its icy rings to the magnetic field, which is a very ambitious mission. The mission also entails the first decent of a probe to a moon of another planet - the most distant landing ever attempted on another object in the solar system (“Great Space Place”). These discoveries and close-ups of the exquisite characteristics of Saturn are what make this planet the most interesting and amazing of the solar system.

Bibliography

“Astronomy for Kids-Saturn,” Altavista, http://www.dustbunny.com/afk/planets/saturn.htm, November 20, 1998.

“Astronomy Now: Cassini - Mission to Saturn,” Altavista, http://www.astronomynow.

com/cassini/ November 10, 1998,

“Great Space Place,” Altavista, http://www.transatlantech.com/TPS/gsp-starssaturn.html

November 15, 1998.

Kuhn, Karl F., “In Quest of the Universe,” Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Inc. Copyright

1998.

Pioneer 10, 11 Quicklook,” Altavista, http://leonardo.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/QuickLooks/

pioneer10QL.html, November 10, 1998.

Yenne, Bill, “The Atlas of the Solar System,” Brompton Books Corp., Greenwich, 1987,

125-128.

Show More
Related

  • Exploring Human and Artificial Intelligence in Space

    677 Words  | 2 Pages

    As I have described in The Lost Worlds of 2001, both projects proceeded simultaneously, with feedback in each direction. Thus I often had the strange experience of revising the manuscript after viewing rushes based upon an earlier version of the story - a stimulating but rather expensive way of writing a novel. As a result, there is a much closer parallel between book and movie than is usually the case, but there is also major differences. In the novel, the destination of the spaceship Discovery was Iapetus (or Japetus), most enigmatic of Saturn's many moons. The Saturnian system was reached via Jupiter: Discovery made a close approach to the giant planet, using its enormous gravitational field to produce a "slingshot" effect and to accelerate it along the second lap of its journey. Exactly the same maneuver was used by the Voyager space-probes in 1979, when they made the first detailed reconnaissance of the outer

    Read More

  • Bruce and Clark

    792 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...nstead of being born with powers, revenge gave birth in Bruce's heart and diligent pursuit of expertise haunted his every dream. Therefore, Bruce is a self-made prevention vigilante for Gotham City.

    Read More

  • Jovian Planets Essay

    1931 Words  | 4 Pages

    The majority of people have a very basic understanding of Earth, the planet we reside in, let alone the seven other planets in our solar system. The eight planets surrounding our star, the Sun, are separated into two very simple categories: Jovian and Terrestrial Planets. Throughout this paper, I will be explaining the basic structure and properties of the eight planets in our solar system, along with a brief history on the discovery of our solar system and what’s to come in the future. I will also go in depth into the difference between the Jovian Planets and the Terrestrial Planets, from the basic differences to the different structures and properties.

    Read More

  • Criticism In The Dark Night: The Dark Night

    988 Words  | 2 Pages

    Bruce Wayne’s origins story for the Batman is filled with great pain fear; his parents had died at the hands of criminals and wished to rid his city of the polluted evil it had become consumed by. He hoped to inspire the people of Gotham to stand up these criminals, but that truly wasn’t enough, he had to become more than just a man to inspire. The Batman was created to become an incorruptible and eternal symbol to bring about a change in Gotham.

    Read More

  • Decoding the Batman: Fiction Versus Reality

    1445 Words  | 3 Pages

    So far nothing stated above seems impossible for someone to do in reality, as long as that person has the necessary resources to achieve the same level as Batman. Until it is brought to light that everything he did after leaving the FBI was done in only 5 years. Bruce came back to his home in Gotham, and became Batman, at the age of 25. How did he achieve so much in so little time? Bruce adopted the Uberman sleep

    Read More

  • pluto

    1835 Words  | 4 Pages

    Pluto is usually farther from the Sun than any of the nine planets; however, due to the eccentricity of its orbit, it is closer than Neptune for 20 years out of its 249 year orbit. Pluto crossed Neptune's orbit January 21, 1979, made its closest approach September 5, 1989, and will remain within the orbit of Neptune until February 11, 1999. This will not occur again until September 2226.

    Read More

  • Batman Movie Analysis

    1188 Words  | 3 Pages

    Material imbalance? Spiritual? Interpersonal? As the sole surviving scion of one of Gotham's oldest and most affluent families, Bruce Wayne has no practical need to either work or to serve the world, therefore, a material imbalance is not taking away from the basic necessities of a good and happy life. Contrarily, he has the choice to numb his torment with excess and depravity, but an episode from his early childhood, when he was suspended for a week for beating up a boy who was "extorting lunch money from the other kids" suggests an innate nobility which vetoes any inclination to wallow in self-indulgence. For Bruce, a righteous man with a pristine pedigree, excellent connections, mansions, and yachts, a consuming devotion to something bigger than himself may be what he needs to counterbalance his inordinate privilege. Bruce knows that he needs to keep his identity hidden from others if he wants to continue on his trajectory as Gotham's self-appointed guardian, and he's prepared to take titanic measures to safeguard his position. After he breaks his arm rescuing Gotham city council members from an avalanching 3D rendering of a proposed hospital, he fears that Vicky Vale, a reporter for the city's daily gazette, will "discover his bad arm, and [that] his identity will be exposed." Desperate to conceal his alter-ego, he uses a time machine to summon a future Batman who can substitute him until he recovers.

    Read More

  • Achievements of the African Empires and Cities Before the Arrival of the Europeans

    514 Words  | 2 Pages

    There was also a great city in Mali called Timbuktu. It was very important because it was a center for trade and it aided the Muslim art and culture which helped to spread Islam.

    Read More

  • Alienation and Isolation in William Falukners "A Rose For Emily"

    433 Words  | 1 Pages

    Miss Emily’s isolation is able to benefit her as well. She has the entire town believing she is a frail and weak woman, but she is very strong indeed. Everyone is convinced that she could not even hurt a fly, but instead she is capable a horrible crime, murder. Miss Emily’s actions range from eccentric to absurd. After the death of her father, and the estrangement from the Yankee, Homer Barron, she becomes reclusive and introverted. The reader can find that Miss Emily did what was necessary to keep her secret from the town. “Already we knew that there was one room in that region above stairs which no one had seen in forty years” (247).

    Read More

  • Mali Empire

    1067 Words  | 3 Pages

    During the 13th and 14th centuries, it was the Mali Empire, also known as the Manden Kurufa, stood as West Africa’s eminent civilization. It was twice as big as any European Empire of its time, being roughly as large as the whole of Western Europe. But, like all other empires, it met its own fate. We will be exploring the epic story of this empire, from its rise to its fall.

    Read More

  • Juno Spacecraft: Mission to Jupiter

    1345 Words  | 3 Pages

    Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, has yet to be discovered as in depth as Juno will. NASA New Frontiers recently established the Juno Mission to observe Jupiter (Ionescu 1). The spacecraft is currently on route to Jupiter and it is set to arrive in 2016. Juno will orbit Jupiter thirty-three times total before shutting down (Ionescu 1). Juno will observe Jupiter with deeper observation than can be seen by a telescope. The Juno Spacecraft is a project made to discover Jupiter’s high winds, a possible water source, and the planetary structure.

    Read More

  • Pluto: A Planet?

    1670 Words  | 4 Pages

    Research News Planetary Scientists are Seeing the Unseeable Richard A. Kerr Science, New Series, Vol. 235, No. 2 -. 4784. The. Jan. 2, 1987, pp. 113-117. 29-31. The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'. Stable URL:

    Read More

  • A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift

    911 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...erprivileged mothers who strive to take care of their children but do not have the resources to do so. Lastly, Swift states that for want of work, the children of the impoverished Irish “either turn thieves, or leave their dear native country, to fight for the Pretender in Spain, or sell themselves to Barbados.” Swift makes the reader feel sympathy towards the impoverished children who are forced to make a living for themselves by any means necessary at a young age. Swift’s use of gripping word choice to describe the living conditions of the impoverished Irish effectively puts both emphasis and pity on their situation while also making the reader despise those who do not care about the poor.

    Read More

  • A Victim of Society in A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner

    558 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the short story “A Rose for Emily” written by William Faulkner, Emily, the protagonist, is shown as someone who’s life is falling apart and brought down by society. Emily in this story could be described as a victim to society and her father. Emily Grierson’s confinement, loss of her father and Homer, and constant criticism caused her, her insanity.

    Read More

  • Mercury's Solar System

    648 Words  | 2 Pages

    Mercury is the first planet closest to the Sun. It is the smallest planet in the solar system. Mercury rotates three times in two of its years. One of Mercury's days is equal to 176 Earth days because its rotation is very slow. What is weird is that its day is longer than its year. Mercury’s year is about 88 earth days the shortest in the solar system. It has the shortest year because it is closest to the Sun.

    Read More

More about Saturn

Open Document