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Saturn
The Ringed Planet
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Of all the planets in the solar system, Saturn with its rings is
surely the most majestic. Seeing the rings through a telescope is like a
journey into space that I find more thrilling with each encounter.
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A Jovian planet, Saturn is 9.4 times the diameter of the
Earth, almost the size of Jupiter. Saturn has an extensive ring system that
extends outwards from the planet about 81,000 miles from its center. With a small
telescope Saturn's rings are visible. The rings are made up of divisions called
the Cassini Divisions. These rings are made up of tiny ringlets that consist of
chunks of rocks ranging in size from small pebbles to huge boulders. Saturn has
a total of 18 known moons. Mimas, Enceladus, Tethys, Dione,
Rhea, Titan, Iapetus, Hyperion, and Phoebe are among them. |
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The Saturnian Moons
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Mimas
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Enceladus
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Tethys
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Dione
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"Images
courtesy Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Copyright (c) California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA. All rights
reserved."
[click on thumbnail for larger image]
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