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Saturn

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

Related Topics: Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus, Pluto 

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While capturing an image of the Crab Nebula, the Hubble Space Telescope inadvertently also caught a view of an asteroid in our solar system passing across the foreground. The Crab Nebula is a supernova remnant located approximately 6,300 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Taurus, the Bull. An asteroid, designated 2001 SE101, can be seen streaking across the frame from the bottom left toward the top right of the image. Citizen scientist Melina Thévenot from Germany discovered the asteroid photobomb in this 2005 Hubble image as part of the European Space Agency's "Hubble Asteroid Hunter" citizen science project.

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's Hubble Space Telescope captured this view of the interstellar object Comet 2I/Borisov on Oct. 12, 2019.

Top Space Stories of the Week!

By Doris Elin Urrutia

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

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.

After the moon has completed the first quarter of its orbit around Earth, the relative positions of the Earth, sun, and moon cause us to see it half-illuminated - on its eastern side. A first quarter moon always rises around noon and sets around midnight, so it is also visible in the afternoon daytime sky. The evenings around first quarter are the best times to see the lunar terrain when it is dramatically lit by low-angled sunlight.

The Brightest Visible Planets in October's Night Sky: How to See them (and When)

By Joe Rao

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

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.

This artist's concept of a lake at the north pole of Saturn's moon Titan illustrates raised rims and rampartlike features such as those seen by NASA's Cassini spacecraft around the moon's Winnipeg Lacus.

Some of Saturn Moon Titan's Methane Lakes May Sit in 'Explosion Craters'

By Mike Wall

Some of the lakes on Saturn's huge moon Titan may sit in craters blasted out by liquid-nitrogen bombs, a new study suggests.

See the moon make a close pass with the planet Saturn on Saturday night (Sept. 7).

Catch the Moon and Saturn Cozying Up to Each Other This Weekend

By Elizabeth Howell

The moon and Saturn have a close encounter in North American skies this weekend (Sept. 7-8).

An artist's depiction of NASA's Cassini spacecraft flying through plumes shooting out of Saturn's moon Enceladus.

On Icy Moons, Alien Life May Go with the Flow of Ocean Currents

By Meghan Bartels

One of the key determinants of which worlds can host life may lie in the motion of their oceans.

Saturn's moon Titan is the only moon in the solar system with a thick atmosphere.

What Secrets Does Titan Hold?

By Paul Sutter

Saturn's largest moon, Titan, is one of the most enigmatic bodies in the solar system.

This visualization shows a large asteroid hitting Earth. One new study suggests a new timeline for Earth's early history.

New Timeline for 'Giant Planet Migration' May Rewrite History of Our Solar System

By Chelsea Gohd

The largest planets in our solar system could have drifted away from the sun much sooner than scientists previously thought, one new study suggests.

This new Hubble Space Telescope view of Jupiter, taken on June 27, 2019, reveals the giant planet's trademark Great Red Spot, and a more intense color palette in the clouds swirling in Jupiter's turbulent atmosphere than seen in previous years. Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3 observed Jupiter when the planet was 400 million miles (640 million kilometers) from Earth, when Jupiter was near "opposition," or almost directly opposite the sun in the sky.

Jupiter: Our Solar System's Largest Planet

By Charles Q. Choi

If Jupiter were the size of a basketball, Earth would be the size of a grape.

These are three mosaics based on data from Cassini's visual- and infrared-mapping spectrometer. They reflect observations taken during Titan flybys on Oct. 28, 2005 (left image), Dec. 26, 2005 (middle image) and Jan. 15, 2006 (right image).

Tiny 'Titans in a Jar' Could Help Scientists Unravel Habitability

By Doris Elin Urrutia

To help determine whether Saturn's moon Titan could host life, researchers are modeling many possible realities of this icy world within tiny glass jars.

During July, Saturn will be well-positioned for observing all night while it moves retrograde (westward) through the stars of northeastern Sagittarius. Look for it as a medium-bright, yellowish object in the lower part of the southeastern sky, sitting east of the Milky Way. The ringed planet will reach opposition on July 9. On that night, Saturn will rise at sunset. Its minimum separation from Earth of 9.03 AU (839 million miles or 1.4 billion km) will cause Saturn to shine at a maximum brightness of magnitude +0.05 and exhibit an apparent disk diameter of 18.4 arc-seconds. The rings, which will narrow every year until the spring of 2025, will subtend 42.86 arc-seconds across. On July 15, the bright, nearly full moon will be positioned 2.5 degrees to the right (west) of Saturn.

Saturn's Rings Shine Extra Bright This July: How to Catch Them

By Joe Rao

July will be a great month to view the rings of Saturn — here's how.

An illustration of the spacecraft Cassini diving through Enceladus' plume in 2015.

Saturn's Icy Moon Enceladus Is Likely the 'Perfect Age' to Harbor Life

By Yasemin Saplakoglu

It's probably around 1 billion years old.