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Saturn is a gas giant, composed predominantly of hydrogen and helium. It lacks a definite surface, though it is likely to have a solid core. [37] The planet's rotation makes it an oblate spheroid—a ball flattened at the poles and bulging at the equator.
The smallest known extrasolar planet that is likely a "gas planet" is Kepler-138d, which has the same mass as Earth but is 60% larger and therefore has a density that indicates a thick gas envelope. [16] A low-mass gas planet can still have a radius resembling that of a gas giant if it has the right temperature. [17]
These jets form a large plume off its south pole, which replenishes Saturn's E ring [56] and serves as the main source of ions in the magnetosphere of Saturn. [57] The gas and dust are released with a rate of more than 100 kg/s. Enceladus may have liquid water underneath the south-polar surface. [56]
Saturn has a rock and or ice core 10–30 times the mass of the Earth, and this core is likely soluble in the gas envelope above, and therefore it is primordial in composition. Since the core still exists, the envelope must have originally accreted onto previously existing planetary cores. [5]
Saturn and Jupiter may be gas giants now, but according to some experts, they were once nothing more than tiny pebbles, and a recent study supports that assertion. The prevailing theory is that ...
Scientists have long viewed Saturn’s moon Enceladus, which harbors an ocean beneath its thick, icy shell, as one of the best places to search for life beyond Earth.
The first evidence that Saturn might have an internally generated magnetic field came in 1974, with the detection of weak radio emissions from the planet at the frequency of about 1 MHz. These medium wave emissions were modulated with a period of about 10 h 30 min , which was interpreted as Saturn's rotation period . [ 10 ]
For the past few months, Saturn's rings have been appearing thinner and thinner to those using ground telescopes. By March 2025, the rings will disappear entirely from view, according to Earth Sky ...