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Saturn is the sixth planet from the sun. It orbits the sun at a distance of 888 million miles (about 10 times as far from the sun as Earth). Saturn would fit 9 1/2 Earths across its face. It is the second-largest planet in the solar system and has a diameter of 74,898 miles. Saturn is also called the Ringed Planet. Although Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune also have ring systems, Saturn\'s is the largest.
Saturn\'s rings are 169,800 miles across, but only 10 yards thick. Saturn\'s rings are made of ice and rock particles, some as big as a mini-van. The average temperature on Saturn is -300°F. It takes Saturn 29 Earth years to go around the sun one time, but only 11 hours to spin on its axis one time. Saturn looks like a ball that is being squished. Because Saturn spins so fast, its middle bulges while its poles flatten out.
This makes Saturn look like somebody is squeezing it. The atmosphere of this Ringed Planet is like Jupiter\'s atmosphere. Saturn holds mostly hydrogen (97%), helium (3%). Saturn also has beautiful bands like Jupiter, but these colorful features are hidden by haze and smog that make up the planet\'s high atmosphere. To escape Saturn\'s gravity you need to travel 79,400 miles per hour. Saturn was the Roman god of the harvest, and the father of Jupiter.
He is identified as the Greek god Cronus.
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