CONTENTS JEWEL OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM 4 SIXTH FROM THE SUN 6 SIZING UP SATURN 8 A PLANET THAT CAN FLOAT 10 RINGS OF ICE 12 MANY MOONS 14 WILD WEATHER 16 BENEATH THE SURFACE 18 SPINNING AROUND THE SUN 20 EARLY OBSERVATIONS 22 UNMANNED MISSIONS 24 PROBING FOR ANSWERS 26 A CLOSER LOOK 28 GLOSSARY 30 FOR MORE INFORMATION 31 INDEX 32
4 JEWEL OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM Many people consider Saturn the most beautiful planet of all Its wonderful rings and golden color have earned it the nickname Jewel of the Solar System Saturn is a favorite planet of astronomers Even a small telescope can be used to view the planet’s beautiful rings Without a telescope Saturn looks like a bright point of light in the night sky This is how it appeared to ancient astronomers Advances in technology can now bring us vivid images of the beautiful planet that has fascinated humans for ages
5 Astronomers are people who study stars planets and other celestial objects VOCABULARY Thousands of years ago astronomers observed lights in the night sky and named them after their gods and god desses Saturn gets its name from the ancient Roman god of agriculture Today people know far more about Saturn than was known in ancient times Unmanned space craft send back incredible images that add to our un derstanding Still this mys terious and lovely planet continues to fascinate us The ancient Romans built temples to the gods and godesses they worshipped This one is dedicated to Saturn
