The Moons Of Saturn

by Mark Benson⁽³⁵⁰⁾ Red Star

The planet Saturn has attracted the attention of schoolchildren, scientists and explorers for many years with particular emphasis on the moons of Saturn which currently number 62. However, it is not only the moons of Saturn but also the structure of the planet itself which has seen hundreds and thousands of articles written about the planet. So why is Saturn so popular and what is this interest all about?

The planet Saturn

Saturn itself is the sixth planet from the sun and it is the second-largest planet in our solar system. However, while Saturn itself is described as a planet it is to all intents and purposes a giant mass of gas which varies from the core of the planet to the outer rings. When you take into account the extreme climate associated with the planet it is only guesswork when scientists suggest the core of the planet is made from iron, nickel, oxygen, silicon and a variety of other compounds.

The outer layers of the planet are a little easier to confirm with the inner core surrounded by a metallic hydrogen material which is then surrounded by a liquid hydrogen cover and then a liquid helium bubble. The outer extremities of Saturn are literally clouds of gas which cover the planet and give it a very distinctive appearance.

Saturn's moons

So far an amazing 62 moons have been discovered orbiting Saturn and while 53 have been officially named there are still a further nine which require more work and more investigation. Official scientific investigations have found that 33 of Saturn's moons are less than 6 miles in diameter and a further 13 are less than 31 miles in diameter. It is an amazing feat that these planets are able to orbit Saturn on an ongoing basis without major problems. There is still much work to be done with regards to confirmation of the make-up and the structure of both Saturn and Saturn's moons but significant work has been done over the last few years.

Naming Saturn's moons

As seems to be the norm with regards to space age technology and space age investigations all of Saturn's moons are named after Greek gods, Roman gods, Giants and Titans from years gone by. There is a very close association between the Romans, the Greeks and outer space which continues to this very day. Of the nine Saturn moons which have yet to be named we will no doubt hear further updates in due course and it is highly likely that their eventual names will be very much along the same subject lines of the current named moons.

The full list of Saturn's moons is as follows: -

Albiorix

Anthe

Atlas

Bebhionn

Bergelmir

Bestla

Calypso

Daphnis

Dione

Enceladus

Epimetheus

Erriapo

Farbauti

Fenrir

Fornjot

Greip

Hati

Helene

Hyperion

Hyrrokkin

Iapetus

Ijiraq

Janus

Jarnsaxa

Kari

Kiviuq

Loge

Methone

Mimas

Mundilfari

Narvi

Paaliaq

Pallene

Pan

Pandora

Phoebe

Polydeuces

Prometheus

Rhea

S/2004 S 12

S/2004 S 13

S/2004 S 17

S/2004 S 7

S/2006 S 1

S/2006 S 3

S/2007 S 2

S/2007 S 3

Siarnaq

Skathi

Skoll

Surtur

Suttungr

Tarqeq

Tarvos

Telesto

Tethys

Thrymr

Titan

Ymir

Mark Benson is the author of a number of articles on the ListOf website covering various subjects such as a List of Saturn's Moons.

Article submitted Wednesday, January 25, 2012 & read 5 times.

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