Saturn

Saturn

Atmospheric composition:hydrogen 96,3 %helium 3,25%ammonia,methane,hydrogen,ethan,water ice aerosolsMagnetic field: 578 times more powerful than Earth's

Physical characteristics

Ring

Orbit

Saturn video

Trace amounts of ammonia, acetylene, ethane, propane, phosphine and methane have been detected in Saturn's atmosphere. The upper clouds are composed of ammonia crystals, while the lower level clouds appear to consist of either ammonium hydrosulfide (NH4SH) or water.

Composition of the atmosphere

Saturn has an intrinsic magnetic field that has a simple, symmetric shape – a magnetic dipole. Its strength at the equator – 0.2 gauss (20 µT) – is approximately one twentieth of that of the field around Jupiter and slightly weaker than Earth's magnetic field. As a result Saturn's magnetosphere is much smaller than Jupiter's.

Saturn has a prominent ring system that consists of nine continuous main rings and three discontinuous arcs, composed mostly of ice particles with a smaller amount of rocky debris and dust. Sixty-two known moons orbit the planet; fifty-three are officially named.

Magnetosphere

Ring System

Saturn's North polar vortex

http://www.cozydark.com/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn#mediaviewer/File:Rotatingsaturnhexagon.gif