Exhibit Codex
Saturn
A low-density gas giant encircled by extensive rings made primarily of water ice.
Open interactive exhibit ↗About this exhibit
Gas giant
Physical profile · seven measurements
- Mean radius
- 58,232 km
- Mass
- 568.317 ×10²⁴ kg
- Bulk density
- 0.6871 g/cm³
- Sidereal rotation
- 0.44401 Earth days
- Sidereal orbit
- 29.447498 Earth years
- Equatorial gravity
- 10.44 m/s²
- Escape speed
- 36.09 km/s
Present-day reference values, rounded from JPL Solar System Dynamics. These are not reconstructed ancient measurements. Gas-giant gravity refers to a reference atmospheric level, not solid ground. Sidereal rotation differs from the solar day.
Reference and coverage
Time scaling is shared with the interactive atlas. Surface interpretations and reconstructed history have different levels of certainty.
Planetary record
Rings of ice
Countless orbiting particles form the rings. Most consist largely of water ice with darker material mixed in. The displayed rings are a continuous visual approximation.
Atmosphere & interior
Saturn is mostly hydrogen and helium. Its low average density does not mean its interior is empty; pressure and temperature rise sharply with depth.
Beyond the rings
Titan has a dense atmosphere and surface lakes of methane and ethane. Enceladus ejects material from a subsurface ocean. These moons are context here, not selectable exhibits.
Time in this exhibit
4.6 billion years ago · Cloud & disk
The young Sun is surrounded by a disk of gas and dust. Planet formation is underway.
4.54 billion years ago · Young planets
The terrestrial planets are growing through accretion and impacts. Their orbits and surfaces continue to evolve.
Present · Modern system
Eight planets orbit our Sun. This layout compresses distances and adjusts sizes to make every world accessible.
Exhibit guide
Structure
Saturn is a hydrogen-and-helium gas giant with a low mean density. Its deep interior is under immense pressure, and the visible cloud tops are not a solid surface.
Saturn is mostly hydrogen and helium. Its low average density does not mean its interior is empty; pressure and temperature rise sharply with depth.
Atmosphere
Winds, storms and bands occur in the atmosphere. A persistent hexagonal jet-stream pattern surrounds the north polar region.
Orbit & rotation
Saturn takes about 29.4 Earth years to orbit the Sun. Determining its bulk rotation is difficult because different atmospheric regions move at different rates.
Rings & moons
The rings consist mainly of ice particles with rocky material. Titan has a dense atmosphere; Enceladus ejects ice and vapor from its south polar region.
Countless orbiting particles form the rings. Most consist largely of water ice with darker material mixed in. The displayed rings are a continuous visual approximation.
Titan has a dense atmosphere and surface lakes of methane and ethane. Enceladus ejects material from a subsurface ocean. These moons are context here, not selectable exhibits.
Exploration
Cassini orbited Saturn from 2004 to 2017. The Huygens probe descended through Titan’s atmosphere and landed in 2005.
Read the detailed records
Open the full exhibit Codex for individual structure records and time-specific information. The Credits page lists source creators, licenses and adaptations.