Saturn

Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun, and the second largest in the solar system. It’s surrounded by beautiful rings.

Facts About Saturn

Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in our solar system. Adorned with a dazzling system of icy rings, Saturn is unique among the planets.

Saturn is a massive ball made mostly of hydrogen and helium. The farthest planet from Earth discovered by the unaided human eye, Saturn has been known since ancient times. The planet is named for the Roman god of agriculture and wealth, who was also the father of Jupiter.

Get the Facts

A view of Saturn from NASA Cassini spacecraft showing the planet's ring system.

NASA's Cassini spacecraft took this image of Saturn on Feb. 9, 2004, when the spacecraft was about 43 million miles (69 million kilometers) from the ringed planet. The image contrast and colors have been slightly enhanced to aid visibility.

NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Saturn by the Numbers

How big is Saturn? How far is it from the Sun?

Use this tool to compare Saturn to Earth, and other planets.

Compare and Analyze

Saturn and its glorious rings appear to glow in this image taken when the giant planet was backlit by the Sun.

With giant Saturn hanging in the blackness and sheltering Cassini from the Sun's blinding glare, the spacecraft viewed the rings as never before, revealing previously unknown faint rings and even glimpsing its home world.

NASA/JPL-Caltech

Exploring Saturn

Four robotic spacecraft have visited Saturn.

NASA's Pioneer 11 provided the first close look in September 1979. NASA's twin Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft followed up with flybys nine months apart in 1980 and 1981. Each flyby revealed intriguing details about the ringed giant world, but it wasn't until Cassini arrived in orbit in 2004 that our understanding of Saturn really started to take shape.

Learn More About Saturn Missions

NASA's Cassini spacecraft lifts off on Oct. 15, 1997, atop a Titan IVB rocket.

NASA

Moons of Saturn

Saturn has 146 officially recognized moons in its orbit, more than any other planet.

Saturn's moons range in size from Titan, which is larger than the planet Mercury – to a moon that's as small as a sports arena. Enceladus has a global ocean under a thick, icy shell.

Learn More About Saturn's Moons

Against a black background, five golden-gray moons of varying sizes are scattered along a horizontal band through the image. Sunlight illuminates them from the left, and their right sides are in shadow. The largest, at far right, takes up the middle third of the photo, fully sunlit, with its dark half cut off by the right edge of the frame. The rings of Saturn, seen nearly edge-on, pierce the image like a knife blade from center-right, emerging through the largest moon, and with the smallest moon resting atop the blade like a breadcrumb.

On July 29, 2011, Cassini captured five of Saturn’s moons in a single frame with its narrow-angle camera.

NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

Saturn and Titan Resources

Explore this page for a curated collection of resources, including activities that can be done at home, as well as videos, animations, posters, and online interactives.

This resource package is suitable for educators, students, and anyone interested in learning more about Saturn and Titan! In addition to the resources on this page, follow along with updates on Saturn and Titan science and upcoming missions through @NASASolarSystem on your preferred social media platform.

A global view of Saturn showing its yellow-brown structure. Part of its right section is in shadow. Two large bands of black spread across its lower half. A dark yellow-brown circle hovers in front of Saturn at the middle-left.

Colorful Colossuses and Changing Hues: A giant of a moon appears before a giant of a planet undergoing seasonal changes in this natural color view of Titan and Saturn from NASA's Cassini spacecraft.

NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

NASA's Eyes is a real-time visualization of our solar system powered by actual planetary science data.

NASA/JPL-Caltech

Saturn

13 Images

Go To Gallery

Go To Gallery

Learn More

For Kids: All About Saturn
Facts about Saturn for kids.
Saturn Resource Package
Activities that can be done at home, as well as videos, animations, posters, and online interactives.
NASA Photojournal: Saturn
Images of Saturn from NASA spacecraft.