Name: Five Facts About Saturn, the Ringed Gas Giant Planet
Uploaded: undefined
Duration: undefined

Nova

Saturn is one of the most recognizable planets in our solar system. Here are five cool facts.

Learn more about Saturn, its rings, and moons.

Five Facts About the Ringed Gas Giant Planet

Koch Foundation

NOVA Science Trust Logo

Saturn is one of the most recognizable planets in our solar system. Here are five cool facts.

Learn more about Saturn, its rings, and moons.

Five Facts About Saturn, the Ringed Gas Giant Planet

Space & Flight

Five Facts About the Ringed Gas Giant PlanetPublished: August 7, 2019Onscreen: Five facts about Saturn1. Saturn is the second-largest planet in the solar system.Diameter: ~72,367 milesMass: ~95x Earth's massDistance from the Sun: ~934 million miles2. Saturn’s rings are 30 feet thick on average. But in some places, they’re up to 2 miles high.3. The rings are younger than scientists once thought. When dinosaurs roamed the Earth, millions of years ago, Saturn was ringless.4. 5,000 miles down into Saturn's atmosphere, the pressure is strong enough to transform graphite rain into diamonds. But these gems are eventually destroyed by even higher pressures father below.5. Saturn can’t support life as we know it. But some of its moons, like Enceladus, have conditions that might.Learn more about Saturn. Stream "The Planets: Saturn" online or on the app.

United States

Northern Mariana Islands

Puerto Rico

American Samoa

Guam

U.S. Virgin Islands

U.S. Minor Outlying Islands

US & Territories

NOVA investigates the story of cannabis from the criminalization that has disproportionately harmed communities of color to the latest medical understanding of the plant. What risks does cannabis pose to the developing brain? How much do we know about its potential medical benefits? As cannabis becomes socially accepted, scientists are exploring its long-term health consequences. (Premiered September 29, 2021)Check out a previously recorded panel discussion and audience Q&amp;A featuring experts and producers from "The Cannabis Question" <a href="https://youtu.be/nSTT5RZ_hxA">here</a>.

As state-legalized cannabis spreads, NOVA explores its little-known risks and benefits.

The Cannabis Question

A 2006 composite image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and Spitzer Telescope shows the chaos of baby stars in the Orion nebula some 1,500 light-years away. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/STScI

With the upcoming launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, the Hubble era is gradually drawing to a close. Here are some highlights from the countless wonders Hubble has shown us during its 31 years in space.

10 spectacular Hubble Space Telescope images

A statue of Zheng He at the Sam Poo Kong Temple in Java, Indonesia. Image Credit: Budianto Santosa, Shutterstock

In the 1400s, Zheng He sailed thousands of miles around Asia and Africa in ships the size of soccer fields, spreading Chinese innovations like compasses and gunpowder in the process.

Five Facts About the Ringed Gas Giant Planet

Support Provided By

Explore More

Death Dive to Saturn

The Planets: Saturn

Five Facts About Jupiter, the Biggest Planet in our Solar System

Transcript

Credits

Support Provided By

Explore More

Death Dive to Saturn

The Planets: Saturn

Five Facts About Jupiter, the Biggest Planet in our Solar System