Easy Astronomy Blog

The dominant gas in Saturn’s atmosphere is hydrogen, but small quantities of helium and methane have also been identified. If life support on Saturn came into discussion, we’d have to agree that the conditions are very different from those on Earth. Saturn has a lower density than water; thus, were there a lake or ocean, Saturn would be vanished in it. Chances for life support remain standing in what Saturn’s moons are concerned, though, but research is in progress, and until more scientific evidence is obtained, everything is pure theory.

Saturn is a very windy place, which is definitely a feature to stand out; just think of wind blowing at about 1,100 miles per hour in in low and central latitudes. But at first glance, nothing seems as spectacular on Saturn as the ring system that surrounds the planet. There are three main ring sectors scientists have classified so far: we can actually speak of three rings in fact, with two brighter and one fainter. The spacecrafts that have studied Saturn and its orbiting celestial bodies indicate that there are thinner rings in the structures we perceive as large, and they are not continuous at all.

The very source of the rings of Saturn remains a mystery for the moment; what renders them so special is that many of them are smaller or larger icebergs, having a significant water quantity trapped in their structure. Other ring areas consist of dust mainly that present characteristics of electrostatic charging, thus enabling the appearance of spokes. Very fine dust particles connect to make these spokes, but they don’t last for long and disappear as quietly as they formed. Then, there is a close relationship between some of the rings and smaller Saturn moons that appear to have an impact on the dust presence in certain areas. Moreover, the revelations science had with the discovery of Saturn’s moons are neither the first nor the last, who knows what will show up next?