<html>
<head>
<title>Saturn Fact Sheet</title>
</head>
<body text="#337ABB" background="../images/stars">
<h3>Saturn Fact Sheet</h3>
<img src="../images/saturn">Saturn
<hr>
<h4>Saturn/Earth Comparison</h4>

<h5>Bulk parameters</h5>
<pre>
                                     Saturn      Earth   Ratio(Saturn/Earth)
Mass (10<sup>24</sup> kg)                      568.46       5.9736       95.162 
Volume (10<sup>10</sup> km<sup>3</sup>)                    82,713    108.321       763.59
Radius (1 bar level) (km)
    Equatorial                       60,268      6,378         9.449    
    Polar                            54,364      6,356         8.553
Volumetric mean radius (km)          58,232      6,371         9.140
Ellipticity                           0.0980     0.0034       28.82
Mean density (kg/m<sup>3</sup>)                    687      5,520         0.124
Gravity (eq., 1 bar) (m/s<sup>2</sup>)           8.96       9.78          0.916 
Escape velocity (km/s)               35.5       11.19          3.172
GM (x 10<sup>6</sup> km<sup>3</sup>/s<sup>2</sup>)                    37.931      0.3986       95.16
Bond albedo                           0.75       0.385         1.95
Visual Geometric Albedo               0.47       0.367         1.28
Visual magnitude V(1,0)              -8.88      -3.86            -
Solar irradiance (W/m<sup>2</sup>)              15.0        1,380.        0.011
Black-body temperature (K)           63.9      247.3           0.258
Moment of inertia (I/MR<sup>2</sup>)             0.210      0.3308        0.635
J<sub>2</sub> (x 10<sup>-6</sup>)                      16,298.      1082.63         15.054    
</pre>
<hr>
<h5>Orbital parameters</h5> 
<pre>
                                     Saturn      Earth   Ratio(Saturn/Earth)
Semimajor axis (10<sup>6</sup> km)            1,427.0       149.6         9.539
Sidereal orbit period (days)      10,759.22      365.256      29.457   
Tropical orbit period (days)      10,746.94      365.242      29.424
Perihelion (10<sup>6</sup> km)                1,347.6       147.1         9.161      
Aphelion (10<sup>6</sup> km)                  1,506.4       152.1         9.904
Synodic period (days)                378.09        -             -
Mean orbital velocity (km/s)           9.66       29.79        0.324
Orbit inclination (deg)                2.489       0.00          -
Orbit eccentricity                     0.05565     0.0167      3.332
Sidereal rotation period (hours)      10.500*     23.9345      0.439
Obliquity to orbit (deg)              26.73       23.45        1.140
</pre>
<p>
* Saturnian System III coordinates
<hr>
<h4>Saturnian Magnetosphere</h4>

<pre>
    Dipole field strength: 0.210 gauss-Rs<sup>3</sup>
    Dipole tilt to rotational axis: &lt; 1 degree
    Dipole offset (planet center to dipole center) distance: 0.04 to 0.05 Rs northward
</pre>
<p>
<b>Note:</b> Saturn's magnetic field has significant quadrapole and octapole moments,
making approximation of the central field as an offset dipole difficult.<br>
Rs denotes Saturnian radii, 60,330 km
<hr>

<h4>Saturnian Atmosphere</h4>
<pre>
Surface Pressure: &gt;&gt;100 bars  
Average temperature: ~97 K
Temperature at 1 bar: ~134 K
Density at 1 bar: ~0.19 kg/m<sup>3</sup>
Wind speeds
   Up to ~400 m/s (&lt;30 degrees latitude)
   Up to ~150 m/s (&gt;30 degrees latitude)
Scale height: 59.5 km
Mean molecular weight: 2.07 g/mole
Atmospheric composition
    Major:       Molecular hydrogen (H<sub>2</sub>) - 89%; Helium (He) - 11%
    Minor (ppm): Methane (CH<sub>4</sub>) - ~3000; Ammonia (NH<sub>3</sub>) - ~200;
                 Ethane (C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>6</sub>) - ~2
    Aerosols:    Ammonia ice, water ice, ammonia hydrosulfide
</pre>
<hr>
</body>
</html>