Saturn

Saturn is 9 times wider than Earth. If Earth were the size of a nickel, Saturn would be about as big as a volleyball. With an diameter of about 74,897 miles (120,500 km). Saturn is blanketed with clouds that appear as faint stripes, jet streams, and storms. The planet is many different shades of yellow, brown, and gray. Winds in the upper atmosphere reach 1,600 feet per second (500 meters per second) in the equatorial region. In contrast, the strongest hurricane-force winds on Earth top out at about 360 feet per second (110 meters per second). And the pressure – the same kind you feel when you dive deep underwater – is so powerful it squeezes gas into a liquid. Saturn has the second-shortest day in the solar system. One day on Saturn takes only 10.7 hours and Saturn makes a complete orbit around the Sun (a year in Saturnian time) in 10,756 Earth days. As of June 8, 2023, Saturn has 146 moons in its orbit, with others continually awaiting confirmation of their discovery and official naming by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Saturn's rings are thought to be pieces of comets, asteroids, or shattered moons that broke up before they reached the planet, torn apart by Saturn's powerful gravity. They are made of billions of small chunks of ice and rock coated with other materials such as dust. The ring particles mostly range from tiny, dust-sized icy grains to chunks as big as a house. The planet is named for the Roman god of agriculture and wealth, who was also the father of Jupiter. Saturn's Greek counterpart was Cronus.