HISTORY ONLINE

Less than one-third the mass of Jupiter, Saturn is still an enormous planet. Saturn has a mass of about 95 Earths and has a very rapid rotation rate. Because its rotation rate is so rapid, it has an obvious oblateness. This oblateness is caused by a outward push at the middle, from the spin rate, causing a large bulge at the planet's equator and a flattening at the planet's pole regions.

Saturn is well known for having more moons than any other planet in our solar system and a spectacular ring system. At least 20 moons have been spotted to date. Their reflective light suggest that most are covered with snow and ice and are probably made almost entirely of water ice. Saturn's largest moon, Titan, is the most intriguing of all Saturn's moons because of its gigantic chemical content. Scientists believe that the atmosphere on Titan may be the same as that of Earth's some billions years ago which eventually led to life on Earth and thus, possibly future life on Titan.

The most obvious feature of Saturn, is its planetary ring system. Saturn has 7 main ring sections labeled A thru G. These ring sections consist of over 3,000 individual rings of various sizes, shapes, and compositions. Between some of the ring sections appears to be a "gap", but actually contains some ring material within it. This "gap", is known as Cassini Division, and lies between ring sections A and B. A smaller gap, known as Encke Division, is found in the outer part of ring section A. Of the three main ring sections, B is the brightest, followed by A, and then by the almost translucent C section.

Saturn was an early god in Roman mythology. The ancient Romans probably considered him the god of fertility of planting, but few myths about him remain. Each year, the Romans honored Saturn with a festival called the Saturnalia. The festival began on December 17 and lasted seven days. During this period, schools and businesses closed, no criminals could be punished, and Roman armies could not start wars. Slaves and masters became equals. Most rules of public conduct were suspended, and entire communities celebrated wildly. Some scholars believe that several modern Christmas customs came from the Saturnalia. These customs include feasting and giving gifts. Saturn a zodiac planet playing important role in european and chinese astrologies.