Trending

Saturn

Saturn, sixth planet from the sun, is the second largest planet in our solar system.

Related Topics: Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus, Pluto 

Latest Updates

An image from NASA's Cassini probe, taken Sept. 23, 2006, shows a pair of hydrocarbon lakes on Titan.

Saturn's weird, Earth-like moon just failed a key test for alien life

By Rafi Letzter

Life on Earth likely began with the bubble-like membranes that surround our cells. Similar membranes probably wouldn't form on Titan, according to quantum mechanics.

NASA released an updated version of the famous "Pale Blue Dot" image of Earth taken by Voyager to celebrate the photograph's 30th anniversary.

Space photos: The most amazing images this week!

By Doris Elin Urrutia

Here are our picks for the most amazing space photos of the week.

NASA will again accept applications for new astronauts beginning March 2 through March 31, 2020. The new recruits, members of NASA's 23rd class of astronaut candidates, will train for expeditions to the space station and Artemis flights to the moon.

The top space stories of the week!

By Doris Elin Urrutia

These are the top space stories this week from Space.com.

As November begins, Mercury will be in the western evening sky and swinging sunward towards inferior conjunction on November 11, when the speedy planet will transit the sun. The transit will be visible in whole or in part from westernmost Russia, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, South America, North America (except for the extreme north), most of the Pacific Ocean, and New Zealand. After mid-month, Mercury will return to view with an excellent morning apparition for Northern Hemisphere observers, but a poor one for the Southern Hemisphere. The planet will reach peak visibility at greatest western elongation on November 28. Viewed in a telescope during mornings in November, Mercury's disk will diminish in apparent size and wax in illuminated phase from a thin crescent to a 68% full. Over the same period, the planet will brighten. The old crescent moon will pass north of Mercury on November 24-25.

The brightest planets in February's night sky: How to see them (and when)

By Joe Rao

Here's how to see planets visible in February's night sky.

Artist's illustration of a black hole.

The Decade in Astronomy: These Space Discoveries Shaped the 2010s

By Sarah Wells

As the 2010s come to a close, it's time to revisit how some of the biggest space science stories shaped the decade.

An up-close look at the "tiger stripes" on Saturn's moon Enceladus, which is thought to harbor a big ocean of liquid water beneath its icy surface.

If We Find Life on Europa or Enceladus, It Will Probably Be a '2nd Genesis'

By Mike Wall

If there are creatures swimming in the buried oceans of the outer solar system, they're probably not related to us, new research suggests.

Venus and Saturn will share the same right ascension tonight (Dec. 10) low on the horizon. This still from a NASA JPL skygazing video shows the planets and the two stars that will shine to the north of the close approach.

See Venus Near Saturn in the Night Sky This Week and Make Your (Skywatching) Season Bright!

By Doris Elin Urrutia

Earmark the next few evenings! Solar-system siblings Venus and Saturn will appear near each other in the night sky this week.

Enceladus has strange, parallel "tiger stipes" at its south pole.

Weird Physics of 'Tiger Stripes' on Icy Saturn Moon Enceladus Finally Explained

By Chelsea Gohd

New research solves some of the mysteries of the "tiger stripes" on Saturn's moon Enceladus.

An artist's depiction of a lake near Titan's north pole.

Lakes May Bubble Up into 'Magic Islands' on Saturn's Weird Moon, Titan

By Meghan Bartels

Champagne is supposed to be bubbly. So is a foaming bath. But a mixture designed to mimic the frigid lakes on an alien moon? That's a little more surprising.

Saturn will be in conjunction with the moon on Nov. 29, at 4:03 p.m. EST (2103 GMT). The pair will be visible above the southwest horizon shortly after sunset.

Cosmic Deal: You Can See Saturn with the Moon on Black Friday (It's Free!)

By Joe Rao

After its Thanksgiving rendezvous with Jupiter and Venus, the moon will pay Saturn a visit on Black Friday (Nov. 29).

The first global geologic map of Saturn's largest moon, Titan.

New Map of Saturn's Moon Titan Reveals a Liquid-Filled World

By Elizabeth Howell

A new geologic map of Saturn's large moon Titan reveals just how much liquid this world holds.

The nearly full supermoon Beaver Moon rises over the Syr Darya river near the Baikonur Cosmodrome spaceport in Kazakhstan on Nov. 13, 2016 in this view by NASA photographer Bill Ingalls.

November Full Moon 2019: See the 'Beaver Moon' (and Meteors) Tonight!

By Jesse Emspak

The full moon of November, called the Beaver Moon, will shine in the constellation Aries on Nov. 12, the same day as the peak of the Northern Taurid meteor shower.

Dunes on Saturn's moon Titan as seen by the Cassini probe in 2006.

A Faux Saturn Moon Titan on Earth Could Solve Solar System Mystery

By Meghan Bartels

Big, schmancy compounds keep popping up all over the solar system, and new research may help clear up confusion about how they form in so many places.

Saturn as seen by NASA's Cassini spacecraft.

20 New Moons Found Around Saturn, Snagging Satellite Record from Jupiter

By Mike Wall

Astronomers have discovered 20 more Saturn moons, boosting the ringed planet's tally of known satellites to 82 — three more than Jupiter.

On Oct. 3, 2019, the waxing crescent moon will pass less than 2 degrees from the planet Jupiter. With binoculars or a telescope, you may be able to see Jupiter's four Galilean moons, too.

Moon Will Pay Visits to Jupiter and Saturn This Week. Here's How to See It

By Joe Rao

This week the moon is going to rendezvous with two bright "superior" planets.

Enceladus's icy water vapor jets are visible in this photo, taken by Cassini on Sept. 30, 2007.

Organic Compounds Found in Plumes of Saturn's Icy Moon Enceladus

By Chelsea Gohd

Scientists have detected new types of organic compounds in the plumes that have been erupting from Enceladus.

An artist's depiction of a fleet of Shapeshifter robots exploring Saturn's moon Titan.

Shapeshifter Robots Could Explore Volcanoes and Caves on Saturn's Moon Titan

By Elizabeth Howell

New shapeshifting robots could give us access to distant worlds like never before — including the soupy moon Titan in Saturn's neighborhood.

The plumes of the Saturn moon Enceladus, captured spewing from the moon's surface by NASA's Cassini spacecraft from a distance of 9,000 miles (14,000 kilometers) in 2010. One new study suggests that Enceladus' geysers act like a "snow-cannon" and makes Saturn's inner moons more reflective.

'Snow-Cannon' on Enceladus May Make Other Moons Shine

By Chelsea Gohd

A new study suggests that Enceladus' geysers act as a 'snow-cannon,' making nearby moons snowy and reflective.

The rings of Saturn take center stage in this portrait by the Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field Camera 3 taken on June 20, 2019.

Saturn's Rings May Be Ancient After All

By Mike Wall

The great Saturn ring debate is far from settled, a new study suggests.

The rings of Saturn and four of its moons take center stage in this portrait by the Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field Camera 3 taken on June 20, 2019.

Saturn and Its Rings Look Truly Spectacular in This Hubble Telescope Portrait

By Tariq Malik

NASA and the European Space Agency unveiled the new Saturn portrait by the Hubble Space Telescope today (Sept. 12), and it is absolutely jaw-dropping.