Did you know that Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and is the largest in the solar system? Or did you know that its equatorial diameter is 119,300 kilometers and it is the only planet less dense than water? The atmosphere is composed of hydrogen with small amounts of helium and methane. On contrary to a lot of people's beliefs Saturn has a lot of wind and it blows at high speeds. The wind blows mostly in an easterly direction. Near the equator is where the strongest winds are found and at latitudes greater than 35 degrees, winds alternate east and west.
Saturn has 18 officially recognized and named satellites. In additon, there are other unconfirmed satellites, one of which circles in the orbit of Dione. Several generalizations can be made about the satellites of Saturn. Only Titan has an appreciable atmosphere. Most of the satellites have a synchronous rotation. The only exceptions are Hyperion, whose orbit is chaotic, and Phoebe. Saturn has a regular system of satellites. All of them have a density of less than 2 gm/cm3. This indicates that they are composed of 30 to 40% rock and 60 to 70% water ice. Most of the satellites reflect 60 to 90% of the light that strikes them. The outer four satellites reflect less than 60% of the light. Phoebe only reflects 2% of the light. In all, Saturn has 17 satellites in orbit around itself.
One of Saturn's main characteristics is its tendency to have storms. The most recent storm indentified by the Hubble Space Telescope is a white arrowhead-shaped feature near the planets equator. The storm is generated by the upward movement of warm air. The diameter of the storm is equal to the diameter of the Earth, 12,700 kilometers. The Hubble's images are so advanced that they can even reveal Saturn's prevailing winds. Through the use of technology scientists can also clock the winds. The planet's strongest winds were clocked at 1,600 kilometers per hour according to the Voyager Spacecraft.
To the north of this arrowheaded storm, the winds begin to decrease. Clouds north of the storm are swept westward by winds with higher latitudes. Other strong winds near prevailing winds blow over Saturn's storms creating white clouds. These white clouds are ammonia ice crystals formed by warm gases traveling through Saturn's frigid cloud tops.
Saturn is one of the most interesting planets in our solar system. Its rings, storms, and moons all contribute to this planet's uniqueness. We hope that you, the reader, have gained a better understanding of Saturn and its characteristics. Thank you for reading our web page.
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