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
6 The closest that Saturn and Earth will ever get to each other is about 746 million miles 1 2 billion kilometers In the solar system Saturn is the sixth planet from the sun Earth is the third from the sun Saturn’s orbit is between that of Jupiter and Uranus This illustration shows the order of the planets and also includes the dwarf planet Pluto Saturn with its distinct rings is sixth from the sun SIXTH FROM THE SUN
7 COMPARE AND CONTRAST In what way is Saturn similar to Earth How is it different and why Saturn belongs to the group of outer planets The other outer planets are Jupiter Uranus and Neptune These four planets are less dense than the rocky inner planets that are closer to the sun They are also much larger Saturn is a cold planet even though it is a warm golden color Its average temperature is 288 F 178 C Unlike on Earth temperatures vary only a little between the planet’s equator and its poles All of the outer planets in the solar sys tem have rings but Saturnʼs are the most spectacular
