Missions to Saturn

There was a flyby mission named Pioneer 11 that was launched to Saturn on April 6, 1973 and arrived September 1, 1979. It was sent to Saturn to study magnetic fields, solar winds, and the atmosphere. Although Pioneer 11 also discovered additional rings and moons not previously known.

Facts

- Saturn is a gas planet
- Second largest planet in our solar system
- The core is composed of liquid rock
- Most of Saturn's moons are tiny
- The rings are composed of million particles & large chunks of ice and snow
- Only planet in our solar system that is less dense than water
- Flatted at poles , because of its fast rotation on its axis
- Has seven thin flat rings around it
- Saturn has a moon larger than Mercury
- Magnetic field on Saturn that is 578 times as powerful as Earth's
- Can hold more than 760 Earth's
- Takes Saturn 29.46 Earth years to orbit around our Sun
- Saturn's rings are very visible and stand out
- Has a nickname "the jewel of the solar system"
- Summer on Saturn lasts about eight Earth years

About Saturn

1. Diameter of 120,536 km
2. Length of one day lasts 10 hours and 39 minutes
3. One year on Saturn is 29.5 Earth years
4. Average distance from the sun is 1.427 billion km (9.53 AU)
5. Has 62 moons
6. Saturns surface is yellowish with an erie glow
7. Has an atmosphere made of hydrogen and helium
8. Named for the roman god of agriculture
9. Discovered in 1610 ,although Galileo only saw its rings at that moment
10. 100 lbs on Earth would weigh 92 lbs on Saturn
11.  Has a temperature of -218F (-139C)
12. Saturn's mass is 95.16 of Earth's mass
13. It's rings can go out to 168,000 miles