标签： Saturn’s rings shine

Saturn is the second largest planet in the solar system, only one size smaller than Jupiter. Its body is mainly composed of hydrogen and helium, accounting for more than 90%, with a little bit of other gases mixed in. Because it’s all gas, Saturn doesn’t have a hard surface like Earth, stepping on it feels like stepping on clouds, it’s completely untenable. This guy is so large that it can hold 760 Earths, no wonder it’s called a ‘gas giant planet’.
Saturn’s rings shine for billions of years, gas giants hide secrets, guess how it came about?
Saturn’s rings shine for billions of years, gas giants hide secrets, guess how it came about?
The core of Saturn is a hard object, mainly composed of ice, rock, and metal. These things come together to form Saturn’s’ heart ‘. As soon as the core is formed, the surrounding gases are attracted by its strong gravitational force, mainly hydrogen and helium. These gases wrap around the core, forming Saturn’s thick outer shell. Over time, Saturn grew into the behemoth we see today.
Saturn’s rings shine for billions of years, gas giants hide secrets, guess how it came about?
Saturn’s rings shine for billions of years, gas giants hide secrets, guess how it came about?
Where does Saturn’s energy come from? It doesn’t make a living by burning firewood. When the core is formed, it constantly contracts due to gravity, releasing a lot of heat. This heat makes the temperature inside Saturn frighteningly high. What’s even more impressive is that there are nuclear fusion reactions inside Saturn. Simply put, it means that hydrogen atoms are squeezed together to become helium atoms, releasing enormous energy. This process is a bit like solar power generation, but Saturn’s mass is not large enough, so the reaction is not as strong.
Saturn’s rings shine for billions of years, gas giants hide secrets, guess how it came about?
Saturn’s rings shine for billions of years, gas giants hide secrets, guess how it came about?
Speaking of Saturn’s atmosphere, it’s quite lively. Its surface often experiences storms blowing back and forth, rolling up clouds like a party in the sky. The most famous one is the “Arctic Storm” at Saturn’s North Pole, with wind speeds so fast that they can blow houses away. These storms make Saturn’s atmosphere colorful, looking like a painting.
Saturn’s rings shine for billions of years, gas giants hide secrets, guess how it came about?
Saturn’s rings shine for billions of years, gas giants hide secrets, guess how it came about?
Saturn’s rings are its most stylish signature. This ring is not made of stone or metal, but of countless small ice particles. These ice particles may have been left behind after the fragmentation of Saturn’s moons, or they could have been unused materials in the original planetary disk. They are pulled by Saturn’s gravity and orbit around Saturn, forming this sparkling ‘belt’.
Saturn’s rings shine for billions of years, gas giants hide secrets, guess how it came about?
Saturn’s rings shine for billions of years, gas giants hide secrets, guess how it came about?
Some people are worried that Saturn may explode, as it contains nuclear fusion reactions. Don’t panic, Saturn isn’t that easy to explode. Its quality and pressure are not high enough, the nuclear fusion reaction is very stable, and the released energy only keeps Saturn warm, without causing any major trouble. Scientists say that the possibility of Saturn exploding is almost zero, so we don’t have to worry about it.