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Tag Archives: saturn
Determining Saturn’s Rotation Speed
Throughout the 1900s, planetary rotation speeds was generally measured in one of two ways: observing the frequency of which fixed features on planets’ surfaces appear, or observing the patterns of the magnetic field, which change periodically when the magnetic field isn’t aligned with the planet’s axis of rotation. For example, both Earth and Jupiter have […] Continue reading
Enceladus: Alien Life in Our Own Solar System?
Enceladus is an icy moon of Saturn, and is fairly small (or medium-sized, for a moon) with a diameter of about 500 km. For reference, the Moon has a diameter of about 3,475 km. Despite its size, however, Enceladus has been rated as among the most probable sources of life in our own solar system […] Continue reading
The Cassini Spacecraft
The story of the Cassini spacecraft is one of scientific discovery and self sacrifice. Cassini was launched in 1997 and spent 20 years in space, focusing on the planet Saturn, its moons, and its rings, before the spacecraft’s intentional demise in 2017. Through Cassini, we were able to land a probe on Titan, Saturn’s largest […] Continue reading
Posted in Class, SolarSystem
Tagged astro2110, blog3, cassini, saturn, spacecraft
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Findings of The Cassini Spacecraft
On October 15th, 1997, the rocket carrying the Cassini Spacecraft and its Huygens probe took off from Cape Canaveral. It was sent to the outer solar system to study Saturn, as well as its moons. The Huygens probe was deployed to one of these moons, Titan, recording images and data. In 2017, after running out […] Continue reading
Titan
Titan is the largest of Saturn’s moons, and one of the biggest moons in our solar system period, 50% larger than our own moon. In my opinion, it’s also one of the coolest. While it’s not exactly the prettiest to look at, kind of just being a grosser and hazier version of Saturn minus theContinue reading “Titan” Continue reading
Shepherd Moons
Saturn is known for its rings. For years, astronomers wondered what they were. Now we know that the rings of Saturn are made up of lots of icy particles ranging from the size of a grain of sand to a boulder. These particles comprise many different individual rings. The rings are flat, and appear toContinue reading “Shepherd Moons” Continue reading
solar system superlatives: Saturn
Welcome back to solar system superlatives! Last time, we learned about Mars and the breathtaking enormity of Olympus Mons, the largest mountain in our solar system. Now, let’s take a look at my personal favorite of the giants: Saturn. Needless to say, Saturn wins the prize of “coolest rings in the solar system.” Just takeContinue reading “solar system superlatives: Saturn” Continue reading
Saturn’s Hexagon
Scientists at Harvard are trying to learn more about Saturn’s hexagonal storm on its north pole. While storms on Earth tend to be round or spiral in shape, this feature on Saturn is distinctly a hexagon, and we don’t fully know why! As of now, Harvard has created computer simulations that have indicated how polygonalContinue reading “Saturn’s Hexagon” Continue reading
The Cassini Spacecraft and Huygens Probe
NASA’s Cassini Spacecraft, launched in 1997, flew by Venus and Earth’s Moon, through the Asteroid belt, and near Jupiter until it settled in the Saturn Planetary System for thirteen years. This was a historical mission for multiple reasons. Not only was it the first to orbit Saturn, but the Huygens Probe it carried was theContinue reading “The Cassini Spacecraft and Huygens Probe” Continue reading
Posted in Class, Jovians, Space Travel
Tagged astro2110, blog5, cassini, enceladus, saturn, technology, titan
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Cassini-Huygens Mission
Cassini-Huygens was a solar system mission that explored Saturn and its surroundings, such as its rings, satellites, and moons. The spacecraft was launched from Earth on October 15, 1997. On the way to Saturn, the spacecraft flew by Venus, Earth, the asteroid belt, and Jupiter. Cassini was active for 20 years and spent 13 yearsContinue reading “Cassini-Huygens Mission” Continue reading