Quantity Value Units
Equatorial radius at 60330 km
100 mb
9.459 Earth radii (eq)
Polar radius at 100 mb 54180 km
8.523 Earth radii (p)
Oblateness 0.09796
Mass 5.69E+26 kg
95.2 Earth masses
Volume 8.25E+23 cubic meters
764 Earth volumes
Rotation period, 10.66 hours
kilometric
Rotation period, 10.17 hours
equatorial
Axial tilt 26.73 degrees
Atmospheric temp. at 1 134 degrees Kelvin
bar
Effective temperature 95 degrees Kelvin
Visual geometric albedo 0.47
Bolometric Bond albedo 0.34
Mean density 0.688 g/cm3
Mean gravity at 1 bar 10.46 m/s2
1.07 Earth
gravities
Typical Wind Velocity 400-500 m/s
Constituent gases H2, He,
CH4, NH3
Saturn Orbital Parameters
Quantity Value Units
Solar distance, mean 1430 million km
9.56 AU
Solar distance, min 1350 million km
9.02 AU
Solar distance, max 1510 million km
10.09 AU
Sidereal orbit period 10760 days
29.46 years
Mean orbital velocity 9.64 km/s
Orbital eccentricity 0.056
Inclination to ecliptic 2.49 degrees
Saturn Magetic Field Parameters
Quantity Value Units
Magnetic dipole moment 0.218 gauss Rs3
4.70E+28 gauss cm3
Magnetic dipole tilt 1 degrees
Magnetic dipole offset 0.04 Rs
Distance Distance Orbital Mean Orbital Orbital
Orbital
Satellite from Saturn from Saturn Period Velocity Inclination Eccentricity
Name (km x 1000) (Saturn (days) (km/sec) (degrees)
radii)
Pan 133.6 2.22 0.58 16.86 0 0
Atlas 137.6 2.28 0.60 16.61 0.3 0.0030
Prometheus 139.4 2.31 0.61 16.50 0 0.0024
Pandora 141.7 2.35 0.63 16.37 0.1 0.0042
Epimetheus 151.4 2.51 0.69 15.83 0.34 (var.) 0.0090
Janus 151.5 2.51 0.69 15.83 0.14 (var.) 0.0070
Mimas 185.5 3.08 0.94 14.30 1.53 0.0202
Enceladus 238.0 3.95 1.37 12.63 0.02 0.0045
Tethys 294.7 4.89 1.89 11.35 1.09 0
Telesto 294.7 4.89 1.89 11.35 0 0
Calypso 294.7 4.89 1.89 11.35 0 0
Dione 377.4 6.26 2.74 10.03 0.02 0.0022
Helene 378.4 6.28 2.74 10.02 0.20 0.0050
Rhea 527.0 8.74 4.52 8.49 0.35 0.0010
Titan 1221.9 20.27 15.95 5.57 0.33 0.0292
Hyperion 1481.1 24.58 21.28 5.06 0.43 0.1042
Iapetus 3561.3 59.09 79.33 3.26 14.72 0.0283
Phoebe 12952.0 214.91 550.48 1.71 175.30 0.1633
Mean Alternate
Satellite Radius Density Observed Features Names Discovery
Name (km) (g/cm3)
Pan 10 ---- ---- 1981 S13 Voyager 2 1981
S18 (Showalter)
Atlas 18.5 x ---- Elongated; may control A ring outer edge 1980 S28 Voyager 1 1980
17.2 x 13.5 S17 (Terrile)
Prometheus 74 x 50 x ~0.70 Shepherd satellite to F ring with Pandora 1980 S27 Voyager 1 1980
34 S16 (Collins & Carlson)
Pandora 55 x 44 x ~0.70 Shepherd satellite to F ring with 1980 S26 Voyager 1 1980
31 Prometheus S15 (Collins & Carlson)
Epimetheus 69 x 55 x ~0.70 Irregular; may have been joined with Janus 1980 S3 Fountain & Larson
55 S11 1978
Janus 97 x 95 x ~0.67 Irregular; trades orbits with Epimetheus 1980 S1 Fountain & Larson
77 S10 1978
Mimas 209 x 196 1.17 Giant crater Herschel on leading S1 Herschel 1789
x 191 Hemisphere; icy surface; may be covered
with water frost
Enceladus 256 x 247 1.24 Complex & varied geological evolution; S2 Herschel 1789
x 245 craters; plains; crustal movements; may
be E ring source
Tethys 536 x 528 1.21 Almost pure ice; large trench Ithaca S3 G. D. Cassini 1684
x 526 Chasma (4-5km deep); large 400km crater
Odysseus
Telesto 15 x 12.5 ---- Co-orbital with Tethys, 60deg. ahead (L4) 1980 S13 Smith et al 1980
x 7.5 S13
Calypso 15 x 8 x 8 ---- Co-orbital with Tethys, 60deg. behind (L5) 1980 S25 Smith et al 1980
S14
Dione 560 1.43 Cratered leading hemisphere; wispy S4 G. D. Cassini 1684
features on trailing hemisphere
Helene 17.5 x 16 ---- Co-orbital with Dione 60deg. ahead (L4) Dione B Lacques & Lecacheaux
1980 S6 1980
S12
Rhea 764 1.33 Largest icy satellite; dark trailing S5 Cassini 1672
hemisphere; densely cratered equator
Titan 2,575 1.88 Largest of the satellites; N2, He S6 Huygens 1655
atmosphere; aerosols, hydrocarbons;
surface temp. = 92deg.K; orangish disk;
darker n. hemisphere; H2 torus
Hyperion 180 x 140 1.40 Irregular shape; long axis not pointed at S7 Bond 1848
x 113 Saturn (perhaps due to recent collision);
dark surface; chaotic orbit
Iapetus 718 1.21 MUCH darker leading hemisphere; ring of S8 G. D. Cassini 1671
dark material near division
Phoebe 115 x 110 0.70 Retrograde orbit; only satellite not S9 Pickering 1898
x 105 tidally locked; ~9hr rotation; dark
surface; roughly spherical; may be
captured body
Distance Distance Orbital Mean
Orbital
Ring from Saturn from Saturn Period Velocity
Name (km x 1000) (Saturn (days) (km/sec)
radii)
D RING (inner edge) 67.0 1.11 0.20 23.81
C RING (inner edge) 74.5 1.24 0.24 22.57
(D ring outer edge)
Maxwell Gap 87.6 1.45 0.31 20.81
B RING (inner edge) 92.0 1.53 0.33 20.31
(C ring outer edge)
CASSINI div. (inner 117.6 1.95 0.48 17.97
edge)
B ring (outer edge)
A RING (inner edge) 122.2 2.03 0.50 17.63
(Cassini div. outer
edge)
Encke Division 133.6 2.22 0.58 16.86
Keeler Gap 136.5 2.27 0.58 16.67
(A ring outer edge) 136.8 2.27 0.60 16.66
F RING 140.2 2.33 0.62 16.45
G RING 170.2 2.82 0.83 14.93
E RING (approximate 181.0 3.00 0.91 14.48
inner edge)
(E ring approx. outer 483.0 8.01 3.96 8.86
edge)
Mean
Ring Radius Observed Features Discovery
Name (km)
D RING (inner edge) 7540 D: Very thin, not well defined; seen Pioneer 11 1979
best in forward-scattered light
C RING (inner edge) 17490 C: Very complicated grooved region; many C ring: W.C. & G.P
(D ring outer edge) ringlets of regular ordering; also known Bond & C. W. Tuttle
as the Crepe Ring 1850
Maxwell Gap 270 ---- ----
B RING (inner edge) 25580 B: Brightest ring; highly complex; B ring:
(C ring outer edge) thousands of ringlets; ring spokes; C. Huygens 1659
redder particles
CASSINI div. (inner 4590 Cassini division: Most prominent gap; division:
edge) caused by half-period resonance with G. D. Cassini 1675
B ring (outer edge) Mimas; faint ringlets
A RING (inner edge) 11405 A: Many ringlets & minor gaps; darker & A ring:
(Cassini div. outer edge) more transparent than B C. Huygens 1659
Encke Division 328 Has faint ringlets J. F. Encke 1837
Keeler Gap 35 ---- ----
(A ring outer edge) ---- ---- ----
F RING < 3 "Braided" ring with separate strands; Pioneer 11 1979
shepherded by Prometheus and Pandora
G RING few km? Extremely tenuous & optically thin; seen detected Pioneer 11
best with forward-scattered light 1979
1980
E RING (approximate 302000 E: Thought to be sustained by Enceladus; Voyager 1 1980
inner edge) density peaks at Enceladus' orbit
(E ring approx. outer ---- ---- ----
edge)
Saturn Ring Plane Crossing Home Page
Please direct questions and comments about this Home Page to
Ron Baalke
ron@jpl.nasa.gov
