Questions tagged [saturn]

Questions about Saturn, the sixth planet from the Sun.

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What would happen if a huge planet like Jupiter or Saturn was (or could be) terraformed? [closed]

Even if these planets could be terraformed, it is very unlikely for this to be done in the future, if planets like Mars or Venus were terraformed. What would happen if Jupiter or Saturn could be ...
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12 votes
1 answer
2k views

What do Saturn's rings look like during a total solar eclipse, viewed from one of its moons?

Assuming the observer is standing on one of Saturn's moons, with an atmosphere and angle that allows them to see Saturn and its rings in the sky, what do the rings look like during a total solar ...
SaintDiabolus's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
76 views

What would Saturn's seasons look like from Titan?

I've read several articles on Saturn's seasons and the reasons why we know about them thanks to Voyager 1 and Cassini. Those observations, to my limited understanding, seem to be based mainly on ...
SaintDiabolus's user avatar
14 votes
1 answer
4k views

What does the Earth look like when viewed from Saturn?

Are there any data from spacecraft that visited that planet? How large the Earth is when viewed from that planet?
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1 vote
0 answers
92 views

Why Saturn has more Moons than Jupiter? [duplicate]

Why does Saturn have more moons than Jupiter, I know the grand tack hypothesis suggests Jupiter migrated from 3.5 au to present orbit but given that Jupitern is more massive meaning a larger ...
Arjun's user avatar
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-3 votes
1 answer
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Estimate the mass of Saturn based on the given data below

In September 2017, the Cassini 1 mission was nearing its end after 20 years due to fuel shortages. The NASA space probe reached its apoapsis on 12 September at 1:27 AM EDT (time on Saturn) with a ...
mathgirl752's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
96 views

What are the orbital periods Jupiter, Saturn and earth?

What are the highest accuracy (and hence precision) orbital periods of Jupiter, Saturn and earth in units of days. Note have Allen’s Astronomical Quant(Cox1991)/ Wolfram-α / Wikipedia / 3ea. don’t ...
Joe Horwath's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
256 views

Saturn looks like a star

Why does Saturn look like this through my Astromaster 114 EQ. Im viewing it from inside with open windows and I'm 100% sure it Saturn.
Markus 's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
152 views

Could there be bacteria in the 6000 km water jet of Saturn's moon discovered by the James Webb telescope?

James Webb telescope discovers gargantuan geyser on Saturn's moon, blasting water hundreds of miles into space. If there is life inside the moon Enceladus perhaps now it is airborne. Could water carry ...
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4 votes
1 answer
131 views

What moons have cleared their orbits?

The Wikipedia article Clearing the Neighborhood lists three numeric parameters that can be calculated for bodies orbiting the Sun as a way to indicate orbital dominance: Stern and Levinson's $\Lambda$,...
Mark Foskey's user avatar
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23 votes
3 answers
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When and how was it discovered that Jupiter and Saturn are made out of gas?

Was it due to appearance only or spectroscopic methods were used? Venus also has a thick cloud cover, how was it determined to be a rocky planet?
Astrodhan's user avatar
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1 answer
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Is there tidal locking between Saturn and each of its moons?

From Earth we can see only the near side of the Moon, because of tidal locking. Is there tidal locking for every moon of other planets in the solar system, too? E.G. for Saturn? Here is Wikipedia ...
Jene's user avatar
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4 votes
2 answers
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How Well Can I See the Surface of Jupiter Using Natgeo 76/700 EQ Telescope?

I have been trying to see surface features on the disk of Jupiter with my Natgeo 76/700 EQ1 but it does not appear to be too clear. So I was wondering: What kind of image I should expect from this ...
Rudra Singh's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
537 views

What is the infrared self-luminosity value of Jupiter and Saturn?

I'm looking for these data to apply them to the Kelvin-Helmholtz mechanism but I can't find the values. Or at least if there is an order of magnitude compared to the solar luminosity.
User13122015's user avatar
9 votes
4 answers
4k views

Planets looks like normal stars when I see them using telescope

I've been trying to see planets using my 114 mm (aperture) f=900 mm telescope. For the moon, I got very good quality pictures, but when I try to see planets they just appear to be as if I'm looking at ...
Kamal Aujla's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
58 views

How and where can I get the continuum and/or FITS data for Jupiter and Saturn from ALMA, GMRT and VLA Telescopes?

I intend to process and analyze the radio images and emissions from Jupiter and Saturn. I wish to get data from ALMA, GMRT and VLA Telescopes. Requesting you to please guide me as to how do I access ...
Dhruv Nayak's user avatar
18 votes
3 answers
4k views

What is this 877-year cycle in the orbits of Jupiter & Saturn, and this multimillion-year cycle in the lunar orbit?

The book The Theory That Would Not Die (by Sharon Bertsch McGrayne, 2011) states the following on page 28: He [Pierre-Simon Laplace] used other methods between 1785 and 1788 to determine that Jupiter ...
r.e.s.'s user avatar
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7 votes
2 answers
647 views

What is the maximum latitude from which a satellite in a geostationary orbit around Saturn would be visible to an observer on the planet?

This question is part astronomy and part mathematics. I'm aware it involves “basic” trigonometry, but my brain is short-circuiting. From my calculations, the distance from the center of Saturn where a ...
user177107's user avatar
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6 votes
1 answer
152 views

Is there a reason Tethys and Dione are the only moons known to have trojans?

Trojans have been found at the L4 and L5 points of most planets. However Tethys and Dione, both moons of Saturn, are the only known moons in the Solar System to have trojans of their own. Is this just ...
user177107's user avatar
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1 vote
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What color does Titan turn in a lunar eclipse?

To my understanding, Earth’s Moon’s surface turns red in a lunar eclipse due to refraction of light through Earth’s atmosphere. When Saturn has a lunar eclipse with Titan (so Saturn rests between ...
Mark Price's user avatar
-2 votes
1 answer
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What is Saturn’s apparent magnitude at its brightest when viewed from Uranus?

Considering that the apparent magnitude scale is an inverted scale; what is the lowest apparent magnitude of Saturn that can be seen from Uranus. We are of course talking about when Saturn is viewed ...
Constantthin's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
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Why does Titan's (relatively) rapid migration away from Saturn cause the planet to wobble faster, and eventually (maybe) tip onto its side?

Over the past year and a half, multiple articles in the popular press have come out talking about how unexpectedly rapidly Titan is moving away from Saturn, and how this is causing Saturn to wobble ...
Kurt Hikes's user avatar
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25 votes
3 answers
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Why is there a mountain inside the Herschel crater on Mimas?

If the Herschel crater was caused by an impact, why does it have a mountain at its very center, its peak up to 5 mi (8 km) in elevation?
John's user avatar
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6 votes
2 answers
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Did Cassini return a photo of Saturn's rings shown from closer to Saturn?

A quote from a book, Perelandra by C.S. Lewis: "no eye looked up from beneath on the Ring of Lurga"; now Lurga is Saturn, and no human eye has been to Saturn, let alone at a lower altitude ...
Joshua's user avatar
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12 votes
1 answer
245 views

How to measure mass of planets' core from orbit

I am told in an astrophysics lecture the following. The mass of Saturn's core was measured by Cassini when it completed its final flyby between the rings and the planet itself. It was also found that ...
zabop's user avatar
  • 481
3 votes
2 answers
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Do moons experience periods of no sunlight when orbiting "behind" their planet?

I'm writing a story that takes place on the Saturn moon Iapetusand I was thinking that especially since Iapetus only has an inclination of about 17 degrees from the ecliptic, wouldn't there be a point ...
morningknight's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
150 views

How big can an object get before its core becomes degenerate?

I am wondering, what is the most massive object we know of that does not have a degenerate core, and what is the least massive object that does have a degenerate code? We know that Jupiter has a core ...
WarpPrime's user avatar
  • 6,653
1 vote
1 answer
202 views

How fast do the poles of Jupiter and Saturn precess?

As Jupiter and Saturn have very fast rotation periods, about 10 and 11 hours, respectively, I am assuming that their poles will precess much faster then Earth. Since Earth's poles precess every 26000 ...
WarpPrime's user avatar
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6 votes
0 answers
167 views

Are there any planetary ring system other than "Phoebe ring" not aligned to the equatorial plane?

Continuation of: Is it possible for planetary rings to be perpendicular (or near perpendicular) to the planet's orbit around the host star? The answers discussed about Uranian ring system and how ...
Nilay Ghosh's user avatar
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6 votes
1 answer
783 views

If Jupiter and Saturn were considered stars, which of their moons would qualify as planets by 'clearing the neighbourhood'?

Jupiter has four and Saturn seven spherical satellites. Jupiter's moon Ganymede and Saturn's Titan are larger than Mercury and they're the most massive moons at 0.0248 M♁ (Ganymede) and 0.0225 M♁ (...
Greenhorn's user avatar
  • 397
1 vote
2 answers
269 views

If we stood on the surface of a Jovian moon, Saturn would appear as a dot. Why doesn't Saturn appear like this in a telescope?

Images from the conjunction like these show Saturn just a bit smaller than Jupiter. However, if you were in the vicinity of Jupiter, Saturn would still appear as a dot to the naked eye, wouldn't it? ...
Greenhorn's user avatar
  • 397
-2 votes
1 answer
919 views

How is it that Jupiter and Saturn appear the same size in the sky?

Saturn is twice as far as Jupiter is from Earth according to a quick Google search. But I needed to understand why do they appear as if they are the same size. I mean as if they are not far apart. For ...
Akshay Patil's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
104 views

Question about telescope eyepieces

I have a Celestron 60LCM refractor telescope. It has a 60mm aperture and a 700mm focal length. It came with two eyepieces. One is 25mm and the other is 9mm. They are marked only with their focal ...
Tom V's user avatar
  • 11
4 votes
2 answers
379 views

Will I be able to see both Jupiter and Saturn at the same time in my Astromaster 114?

I have a Celestron Astromaster 114 Newtonian reflector telescope. The specs: aperture: 114mm focal length: 1000mm focal ratio: f/8.77 I also have a t-ring so I can connect a Nikon camera to it. Will ...
S. Imp's user avatar
  • 395
6 votes
1 answer
1k views

Are the Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions and winter solstice related?

There is conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn on Dec 21. And there is another celestial event on that day the winter solstice. So I'm just wondering that are these two events are related or not?
Usama's user avatar
  • 129
2 votes
2 answers
854 views

Why is Saturn the only large planet without any trojans?

Every planet apart from Mercury and Saturn has trojans in its L4 and/or L5 points. Mercury is easy enough to explain: It is small, has an eccentric orbit that precesses, and any trojans it has would ...
user177107's user avatar
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12 votes
1 answer
795 views

Why has Saturn stopped contracting gravitationally?

The following text is from here: The Jovian planets get their heat from the Sun and from their interiors. Jupiter creates a lot of internal heat and releases this heat by emitting thermal radiation. ...
Nilay Ghosh's user avatar
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2 votes
0 answers
30 views

Which is a better way to increase magnification - by choosing an eyepiece of lesser focal length or by choosing a telescope with higher focal length? [duplicate]

Magnification of a telescope = (focal length of telescope / focal length of the eyepiece being used) $$M=\frac{f_{objective}}{f_{eyepiece}}$$ If I want 75 X magnification and the following are the two ...
Pushkar Chaudhari's user avatar
2 votes
3 answers
1k views

Good eyepieces for Saturn and Jupiter

I have a celestron powerseeker 114eq telescope. Aperture : 114mm Focal Length: 900mm I have 20mm and 4mm eyepieces and a 3x Barlow. I have seen Saturn's rings using 4mm eyepiece but it's blurry and ...
RyugaGod's user avatar
  • 209
2 votes
1 answer
67 views

Qualities of gas giant atmospheres at a density of 1 gram per cubic centimeter

At what depth in the atmospheres of the gas giants does the density of their atmospheres equal 1 gram per cubic centimeter? What is the pressure and temperature at these depths? Are the radiations ...
user141802's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
31 views

How does Saturn's ring rain fit with the earlier "big empty" results?

In 2017, the results from Cassini's flight through the region between Saturn and the inner edge of the rings were described as the "Big Empty". Nevertheless in 2018, the region was described ...
user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
188 views

Can you see both Jupiter and Saturn (and their moons) in detail during their upcoming conjunction?

In December of this year, Jupiter and Saturn are going to be in a conjunction. Are they going to be close enough that you could resolve both as more than just dots and see their respective satellites ...
user267545's user avatar
13 votes
3 answers
3k views

How is it possible that Saturn's gravitational acceleration felt by Mimas is stronger than Mimas' own surface gravity?

The surface gravity on Mimas is $≈ 0.063\text{ m}/\text{s}^2$ and Saturn's gravitational acceleration at the distance of Mimas' orbit is: $$\frac{{GM}}{{r}^2} = \frac{{6.674 \times 10^{-11} \times 568....
ChristieToWin's user avatar
40 votes
5 answers
6k views

Why can't we see Saturn's phases from earth?

In the Astronomy Picture of the Day from August 8, 2020 ("Crescent Saturn"), the caption states From Earth, Saturn never shows a crescent phase Why is this? We can observe phases on ...
jng224's user avatar
  • 979
1 vote
0 answers
109 views

Focal ratio importance for planetary viewing

It seems that almost every article online regarding planetary viewing recommends a telescope with a high focal ratio (f/8 or more), for revealing the finer details of the planets. But I find this a ...
cad86's user avatar
  • 11
11 votes
2 answers
542 views

Does Saturn raise tides on Titan's lakes?

Titan is the only body in the Solar System other than Earth to have large bodies of surface liquid. Since Saturn is much more massive than the Moon, I would expect for tides, if they're present to ...
ChristieToWin's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
188 views

Is it possible for a septuple eclipse to happen on Saturn considering there are 7 moons capable of eclipsing the Sun?

The reason quadruple eclipses can never happen on Jupiter is because of the 1:2:4 orbital resonance between Io, Europa, and Ganymede. As far as I know this isn't a problem for Saturn's moons. From ...
user177107's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
254 views

Why isn't there a large gap in the number of captured moons Jupiter and Saturn have?

Given that Jupiter is roughly 3x as massive compared to Saturn and is located right next to the asteroid belt, it feels that Jupiter should easily have a larger amount of captured moons. However ...
Barry Jenakuns's user avatar
10 votes
1 answer
546 views

Why does Saturn have a more prominent equatorial bulge and higher flattening ratio than Jupiter despite rotating slower?

It is my understanding that a planet's equatorial bulge is caused by the centrifugal force produced by its rotation, and the faster a planet rotates the bigger the bulge and flattening ratio of a ...
user177107's user avatar
  • 2,669
3 votes
2 answers
391 views

Venus-Saturn conjunction in Sagittarius on Dec 11, 2019 - How often does this happen?

Venus and Saturn will be approximately two finger widths apart in the constellation Sagittarius on December 11, 2019. I was wondering: how often do Venus and Saturn come together in the sky like this? ...
Jack Warner's user avatar