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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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 published

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 published

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 published

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 published

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 published

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 published

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 published

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 published

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 published

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 published

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

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 published

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 published

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 published

It's probably around 1 billion years old.

A view of Saturn's moon Enceladus taken by NASA's Cassini spacecraft.

Life on Icy Alien Worlds May Resemble Creatures Under Submerged Hawaiian Volcano

By Yasemin Saplakoglu published

What do a deep underwater volcano in Hawaii and Saturn's moon have in common? Astrobiologists are hoping the answer to that question is life.

This illustration shows NASA’s Dragonfly rotorcraft-lander approaching a site on Saturn’s moon, Titan. Taking advantage of Titan’s dense atmosphere and low gravity, Dragonfly will explore dozens of locations across the icy world, sampling and measuring the compositions of Titan's organic surface materials to characterize the habitability of Titan’s environment and investigate the progression of prebiotic chemistry.

Propelling Exploration: Drones Are Going Interplanetary

By Mike Wall published

Drones have already conquered Earth, and now they're heading out into the solar system.

An artist's depiction of the Dragonfly spacecraft on the surface of Titan.

NASA Is Sending a Life-Hunting Drone to Saturn's Huge Moon Titan

By Mike Wall published

The next mission in NASA's New Frontiers line of medium-cost missions will be Dragonfly, a rotorcraft designed to ply the skies of the huge, hazy and potentially life-hosting Saturn moon Titan.

A false-color view of Titan taken by the Cassini spacecraft. The orange spots may be solids left behind when a liquid hydrocarbon seas evaporated, similar to what happens in a bathtub when it is drained.

Mysterious 'Bathtub Rings' of Titan Replicated on Earth

By Rafi Letzter published

Something dark is spreading across the surface of Titan, and we may finally have some idea what it is.

Saturn will be visible near the moon late on June 18, 2019.

See Saturn Near the Moon in the Night Sky Tonight! Here's How

By Joe Rao published

Saturn has been looking stunning lately, and it's preparing to dance close to the moon to display an incredible celestial illusion.

A simulated image based on some of the first data Cassini gathered after its arrival at Saturn in 2004.

Yes, Saturn's Rings Are Awesome — NASA's Cassini Showed Us Just HOW Awesome.

By Meghan Bartels published

When the solar system decided it liked Saturn and wanted to put a ring on it, it put together the most stunning, complex puzzle ring possible.

This sky chart shows the view from Cape Town, South Africa when the moon occults Saturn on May 22, 2019.

Watch Saturn Play Peekaboo with the Moon Tonight!

By Hanneke Weitering published

The moon will make a close pass to Saturn this evening (May 22), so close that our natural satellite will block the view of the ringed planet for skywatchers in parts of the world.