Download Saturn Lord Of The Rings

The Universe: “Saturn: Lord of the Rings” video notes
Astronomy
Name:
Period:
1. Why is Saturn is flattened into an oblate spheroid?
Because it spins so fast on its axis.
2. Why would you weigh less on Saturn than you do on Earth.
Saturn has a low density. In fact it is the only planet with density less than water.
3. Saturn
is _______ largest planet
is _______times the size of Earth
takes ______ hours to rotate on axis
2nd; 750; 10.6; 29.5; 48
takes _______ years to orbit the sun
has _______ named moons
4. Saturn’s rocky core developed first, and then it gathered gas around it. As the gas piled on, how did that
affect the rotation of Saturn?
Like a skater pulling arms in to spins faster, gas that piled on and caused Saturn to spin faster because of
conservation of angular momentum.
5. The rings of Saturn are 173,000 miles across, or as large as ______ Earths placed side-by-side. However,
the rings are only about _____ feet thick. They are made of icy particles as larges as ______________ and
as small as _________________. The inner rings spin ___________ than the outer rings.
21; 65; house, powdery snow; faster
6. Describe two possible explanations of how the rings formed.
The rings could have formed from moons of Saturn colliding. Or the rings could have formed from a
large, fast moving object (asteroid) that could have crashed into one of the moons.
7. Why do scientists believe Saturn’s rings are newer than the rings of Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune?
They are much brighter than the rings of other planets, suggesting they haven’t been exposed to the sun
for as long and therefore haven’t eroded as much.
8. Why is there uncertainty over how long the rings have existed and how long they will remain?
Some believe the rings were formed 4.5 billion years ago when Saturn evolved. But it seems likely they
can only last for a few hundred million years, so perhaps they formed more recently. Since the material
in the rings needs to be replenished it is unclear if they are near birth or near death right now.
9. What do “shepherd” moons do?
They pull on the rings with gravity, holding the rings together.
10. Describe the atmosphere of Saturn, including the unusual features found at the south and north pole.
Saturn’s atmosphere is very dynamic, with wind speeds up to 1000 mph. There are storms, clouds, eddys,
plumes, lightning. On the south pole there is a huge hurricane-like storm, including an eyewall, On the
north pole there is a hexagonal-shaped feature similar to Earth’s polar vortex winds.
11. Saturn’s moon Titan is the _____ largest moon in the solar system and is size of the planet _____________.
2nd; Mercury
12. Titan’s atmosphere is ______ times the mass of the Earth’s atmosphere. Its haze is ________ miles thick.
Ten; 200
13. What two gases make up Titan’s atmosphere? Why is it of such interest to astronomers?
Nitrogen and Methane; astronomers think it is much like Earth’s early atmosphere.
14. When sunlight interacts with Titan’s atmosphere, ____________________ compounds are formed.
Organic
15. Liquid __________ rains down on Titan.
Methane
16. What type of activity is happening on Enceladus? Why is it happening?
Geyser jets come out of the surface erupting water vapor hundreds of miles up. Saturn pulls on the moon,
creating heat through friction, evaporating the water ice, producing the geyser jets.
17. How is Enceladus related to the E ring of Saturn?
The material from the geysers is likely “feeding” the E ring since its material is the same size and orbit.
18. Enceladus is the ____________________________________________ object in the solar system.
Most exciting and least understood
19. What kind of life can we expect on Enceladus?
Bacteria (microbes) are the most likely lifeform. Larger, evolved life is not likely.
20. Why is the Cassini mission, which studies Saturn, its moons, and rings, so vital to astronomers?
Rings, moons, and Saturn are all being monitored, measuring the surface features and environment,
analyzing the data to understand more about the solar system and our own Earth. If we can follow the
origin and evolution of another planet and its moons (one with an atmosphere, another with possible
water), we can better understand how life evolved on Earth.