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Saturn:
The second largest planet and the sixth in order from the sun. Saturn orbits the sun once every 29.5 years at an average distance of 887 million miles (1,428 million kilometers) and spins on its axis once in 10 hours and 39 minutes. Its diameter is 74.977 miles (120,712 kilometers). A gas planet made up mainly of hydrogen and helium, Saturn's rapid spin tends to flatten out the poles while causing a bulge at its equator. Astronomers see large white spots (or clouds) on Saturn which they believe are storms. Saturn has an beautiful ring system formed by a thousand individual rings. The rings appear to be particles and chunks of water ice and dust. There are gaps between some rings, while other rings appear to be braided together. Astronomers believe the rings developed from the break-up of naturally occurring moons. Saturn still has at least 52 moons.
