The temperatures below Saturns clouds are much higher than those at the top of the clouds. The planet gives off about 2 1/2 times as much heat as it receives from the sun. Many astronomers believe that much of Saturns internal heat comes from energy generated by the sinking of helium slowly through the liquid hydrogen in the planets interior.
Density and mass
Saturn has a lower density than any other planet. It is only about one-tenth as dense as Earth, and about two-thirds as dense as water. That is, a portion of Saturn would weigh much less than an equal portion of Earth, and would float in water.
Although Saturn has a low density, it has a greater mass than any other planet except Jupiter. Saturn is about 95 times as massive as Earth. The force of gravity is a little higher on Saturn than on Earth. A 100-pound object on Earth would weigh about 107 pounds on Saturn.
Rings
The rings of Saturn surround the planet at its equator. They do not touch Saturn. As Saturn orbits the sun, the rings always tilt at the same angle as the equator.
The seven rings of Saturn consist of thousands of narrow ringlets. The ringlets are made up of billions of pieces of ice. These pieces range from ice particles that are the size of dust to chunks of ice that measure more than 10 feet in diameter.
Saturns major rings are extremely wide. The outermost ring, for example, may measure as much as 180,000 miles across. However, the rings of Saturn are so thin that they cannot be seen when they are in direct line with Earth. They vary in thickness from about 660 to 9,800 feet . A space separates the rings from one another. Each of these gaps is about 2,000 miles or more in width. However, some of the gaps between the major rings contain ringlets.
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