Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

Explore the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ
This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Find out more about page archiving.

24 September 2014
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ NorfolkΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Norfolk

Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔpage
England
Β» Norfolk
KidsΜύ

Contact Us

Graphic: You are in Norfolk > KidsGo to Norfolk homepageGo to kids index


Grap: Explore Saturn with our astronomy expert
Pic: Mark Lawrik-Thompson
Norfolk astronomer and Chairman of the Norwich Astronomical Society Mark Lawrik-Thompson writes about the moon and galaxies far far away.

Picture: Saturn
Saturn is the sixth planet from the sun and is a big ball of gas

Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun.

Find out more with our kids' guide to astronomy by local astronomer Mark Lawrik-Thompson.


Graphic: Internet links
CΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔpage

The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ is not responsible for the content of external websites

Graphic: Have your say

Have you seen something interesting in the skies?

If so, we'd love to hear from you! E-mail norfolk@bbc.co.uk

Grahpic: Check this out

Astronomy index

Make a rocket

Venus passes in front of the Sun

Planet Jupiter

Planet Mars

Planet Saturn

Planet Venus

The outer planets

The Moon

The Sun

The Star of Bethlehem

Ask the astronomer

Your questions answered

Make a sundial

National Astronomy Week in pictures

Graphic: Print this page
print friendly version of this page.View print friendly version of this page

Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and is probably the most well known of all the planets. One of the reasons why so many people know the planet is because it has a really pretty set of rings.

The pictures on this page shows how Saturn looks through a big telescope; you can easily see the rings. I'm sure you have seen the Moon in the night sky.

Picture: Saturn
Saturn has rings made of tiny bits of rock
Have you got a question on Saturn? Ask Mark!

The rings around Saturn are made up of millions and millions of tiny pieces of rock, all moving around the planet in the same way the Moon moves around the Earth.

Because they are so small and there are so many of them, they look like solid rings, but there are gaps inside the rings. You can also see this in our pictures.

Saturn's moons

As well as the bits of rock making up the rings, Saturn also has some much larger moons. The last time we looked, there were 31 moons but we will probably find more as telescopes get better.

Saturn, like Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune, is made up of gas instead of being solid like the Earth.

The Earth and other planets all have a hard surface that we can walk and run around on. Saturn doesn't. What we see when we look at Saturn is the top of a big ball of gas.

Because Saturn is made up of gasses, it is really light. In fact it is so light that if it was put in water, it would float. Imagine having Saturn floating in your bath!

How to find Saturn in the sky

Now you know all about Saturn, you may want to find it in the sky.

Picture: How to spot Saturn
The arrow is pointing to the north star

All you need to do, is go outside and take a look in the sky looking south east.

To do this, go outside with an adult you know and find the shape of stars called the Plough.

These are part of a much larger group of stars called Ursa Major (see the picture on the left). The Plough actually looks more like a saucepan than a plough!

Once you have found them, follow the two stars at the end, shown in the diagram and they will point you to the North Pole Star.

This star lies North, so having found that, turn round so you are looking in the opposite direction, then turn right a little.

You will see a star shining brightly - this is not a star but Saturn.

If you have a telescope, try pointing it at the planet and see if you can find the rings. Good luck.

Got a question on Saturn? Ask our astronomy expert, Mark Β»

Check out more astronomy stuff here Β»

Μύ

jump to homepage.
jump to kids index.
send an e-mail to the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ website for Norfolk.
jump to top of page.
Graphic: More Norfolk kids

Picture: Lydia: link.

Book review: The Inventors

Jake pops back home

Gardening with grandpa Gipp

Graphic: Not to be missed

Norfolk has loads of cool stuff for kids to do. Check out what's on offer and enjoy these features.
Graphic: Stuff to do and make

Looking for stuff to do at home or with your mates? Try these makes and science experiments.
Graphic: Live webchat with Chris Rankin: link

Weasley webchat: What did you ask actor Chris Rankin?
Graphic: A-Z of Norfolk Science: link

Amazing scientific facts and features where you live




About the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ | Help | Terms of Use | Privacy & Cookies Policy
Μύ