If you’ve ever seen Saturn through a telescope, then you’ll know what a special planet it is to see close up.
Did you know that all four gas giants in our solar system ” Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus ” have rings? Saturn’s ring system stands out though. They are the largest and most splendid in their complexity.
Saturn’s rings are about 1km thick and are over 280,000km wide. That’s like a sheet of tissue paper spread out over a football field!
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READ NOWThey are made of billions of particles of ice.
From the size of grains of sand to the size of houses or even larger! We see the rings so well because the sun’s light reflects off the ice particles so well.
NASA’s Cassini space craft has been in and around Saturn for many years now, and has gathered a great deal of information.
It took Cassini seven years to reach the planet in 2004 and it continues to send information back to earth.
A great time to spot Saturn this month is on Anzac Day, April 25 at 8pm. Turn out all your lights, computers and TVs and head outside.
When you look towards the east, you’ll see the beautiful and almost full moon.
The bright star-like object just below the moon is Saturn. Happy stargazing. Visit stargazersclubwa.com.au.