The Seasons of Saturn

The Seasons of Saturn



Since Saturn'saxis is tilted as it orbits th Sun, Saturn has seasons, like those of planet Earth ...but Saturn's seasons last for over seven years Sowhat season is it on Saturn now?Orbiting the equator, the tilt of th ringsof Saturn provides quite a graphic seasonal display.In fact, this month, Saturn's rings will reach their most "open"angle after appearin nearly edge on in the mid-1990s.The ringed planetis also well placed i evening skiesproviding a grand view as summer comes to Saturn's southernhemisphere and winter to the north.The Hubble Space Telescope took the abov sequenceof images about a year apart, starting on theleft in 1996 and ending on the right in 2000. Although they look solid, Saturn's Rings are likel less than 50 metersthick andconsist of individuallyorbiting bits of ice and rock ranging in size from grainsof sand to barn-sized boulders.