Saturn
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Introduction
No planet in the solar system is adorned like Saturn. Its ring system is uncomparable. Like Jupiter, Saturn is composed mostly of hydrogen. But in contrast to the vivid colors and wild turbulence found in jovian clouds, Saturn's atmosphere has a more subtle, butterscotch hue, and its markings are muted by high-altitude haze. Given Saturn's somewhat placid-looking appearance, scientists were surprised at the high-velocity equatorial jet stream that blows some 1,770 kilometers (1,100 miles) per hour. Saturn, the sixth planet from the Sun, has the most spectacular set of rings in the solar system. We now know that Saturn has 31 moons in addition to its complex ring system. Saturn is the second largest in the solar system with an equatorial diameter of 119,300 kilometers (74,130 miles). Much of what is known about the planet is due to the Voyager explorations in 1980-81. Saturn is visibly flattened at the poles, as a result of the very fast rotation of the planet on its axis...