Saturn: Ringed Wonder Presented by Professor Harold Geller Department of Physics and Astronomy George Mason University

What I’m Going to Talk About Saturn as a jovian planet –mass –diameter –distance from sun –chemical constituents –formation –atmosphere –inner layers –rings –moons

Saturn Statistics Distance from sun –1427 million km (9.54 AU) Orbital eccentricity and inclination –0.054 eccentricity –2.49 degrees inclination Orbital speed and period –9.65 km/s –29.42 years - sidereal period Mass –5.68 x kg (95.6 x Earth) Equatorial Diameter –60,268 km (9.45 x Earth)

More Saturn Statistics Mean density –0.687 g/cm3 (0.125 x Earth) Surface gravity –10.4 m/s 2 (1.07 x Earth) Escape velocity –35.5 km/s Axial tilt –26.7 degrees Temperature at cloud top –97 K Number of Moons –Define a moon

Where Are We?

Jovians and Terrestrials A Family Portrait scaled to size, NOT distance

[Source: James Schombert, University of Oregon]

Atmospheric Comparison [Source: James Schombert, University of Oregon]

Not a Perfect Sphere [Source: James Schombert, University of Oregon]

Atmospheric Appearance Fluid Mechanics viscous flow turbulent flow eddies cyclones [Source: James Schombert, University of Oregon]

Saturn’s Interior [Source: James Schombert, University of Oregon]

Saturn’s Magnetic Field [Source: James Schombert, University of Oregon] Saturn’s Magnetic Field 8,000 times Earth’s 1/2 of Jupiter’s similar rotation therefore metallic hydrogen shell is smaller Saturn’s Magnetosphere smaller than Jupiter’s large ring system “damps out” charged particles

Synchrotron Radiation [Source: James Schombert, University of Oregon]

Saturn’s Aurora [Source: James Schombert, University of Oregon]

Rings Rings Rings – NOT REAL COLOR [Source: James Schombert, University of Oregon]

Rings around the Jovians

Ring Irregularities