ANSWERS: 1
  • Ancient societies were only able to observe the largest planets, such as Saturn, named after the Roman god of agriculture. Even though ancient man could see Saturn, mankind did not see Saturn's most notorious feature until a few hundred years ago.

    Identification

    Saturn, our solar system's second largest planet, has never been visited by man, reports Scholastic. Scientists consider Saturn a "gas giant" because it has a very low density (less dense than water) and thus cannot support any type of "landing."

    Fun Fact

    If you did visit Saturn you would see a lot of ice, reports NASA. Saturn orbits the Sun from a much farther distance than Earth and the temperatures of its clouds get down to minus 285 degrees F.

    Features

    Saturn's most famous feature is its rings that orbit the planet, reports NASA. The rings are almost entirely made up of pieces of ice stuck in Saturn's gravitational field.

    History

    In the early 1600s, Italian astronomer Galileo became the first person to see the rings around Saturn, although he thought they were satellites at the time due to his poor quality telescope, reports NASA.

    Expert Insight

    You sometimes see giant, twirling spots on Saturn, reports NASA. These are actually enormous gas clouds that pick up speed and other gas, much like how a hurricane gathers strength.

    Source:

    Scholastic.com; Saturn

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration; Saturn

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