Login With Google
Planet Saturn
Why is it in news?
- According to data obtained from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, Saturn’s rings are one of our solar system’s magnificent sights, but may be a relatively recent addition.
More in news
- New findings:(1) Scientists said that a calculation of the mass of the rings based on gravitational measurements of the planet collected by Cassini indicated they formed between 100 million and 10 million years ago in roughly the final 2% of Saturn’s current age.(2) The ring mass turned out to be 45% lower than previous estimates based on 1980s data from NASA’s Voyager spacecraft.(3) Lower mass indicates a younger age.
- Earlier understanding: The findings challenge the notion favoured by some astronomers that the rings developed soon after Saturn formed about 4.5 billion years ago along with the other planets, including the earth.
Planet Saturn
- Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in our solar system.
- Adorned with thousands of beautiful ringlets, Saturn is unique among the planets.
- It is not the only planet to have rings-made of chunks of ice and rock—but none are as spectacular or as complicated as Saturn's.
- Like fellow gas giant Jupiter, Saturn is a massive ball made mostly of hydrogen and helium.
- Few missions have visited Saturn: Pioneer 11 and Voyagers 1 and 2 flew by; But Cassini orbited Saturn 294 times from 2004 to 2017.
Source
The Hindu, NASA