Saturn

[ sat-ern ]

noun

1. an ancient Roman god of agriculture, the consort of Ops, believed to have ruled the earth during an age of happiness and virtue, identified with the Greek god Cronus.
2. Astronomy. the planet sixth in order from the sun, having an equatorial diameter of 74,600 miles (120,000 kilometers), a mean distance from the sun of 886.7 million miles (1427 million kilometers), a period of revolution of 29.46 years, and 21 known moons. It is the second largest planet in the solar system, encompassed by a series of thin, flat rings composed of small particles of ice.
3. Alchemy. the metal lead.
4. a U.S. space-vehicle booster developing from 2 million to 9 million pounds (900,000 to 4 million kilograms) of thrust for launching satellites, probes, and spaceships.

Saturn

¹

/ ˈsætɜːn /

noun

1. See Titan
   one of the giant planets , the sixth planet from the sun, around which revolve planar concentric rings ( Saturn's rings ) consisting of small frozen particles. The planet has 62 satellites. Mean distance from sun: 1425 million km; period of revolution around sun: 29.41 years; period of axial rotation: 10.23 hours; equatorial diameter and mass: 9.26 and 95.3 times that of the earth, respectively See also Titan 2
2. a large US rocket used for launching various objects, such as a spaceprobe or an Apollo spacecraft, into space
3. See lead
   the alchemical name for lead 2

Saturn

²

/ ˈsætɜːn /

noun

1. the Roman god of agriculture and vegetation Greek counterpartCronus

Saturn

/ săt′ərn /

1. The sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest, with a diameter about ten times that of Earth. Saturn is a gas giant that is almost as large as Jupiter in diameter but with only about 30 percent of Jupiter's mass. Its mainly gaseous composition together with its rapid axial rotation (it rotates once every 10.7 hours) cause a noticeable flattening at the poles and a prominent equatorial bulge. Saturn is encircled by a large, flat system of rings made up of rock fragments and tiny ice crystals, first observed by Galileo in 1610. The rings are believed to be unstable and therefore likely of recent origin; they may have been formed from bodies such as asteroids or moons that were shattered as they approached closer than the Roche limit . Saturn has numerous moons, of which the largest is Titan, the second largest moon in the solar system after Jupiter's Ganymede and larger than both Mercury and Pluto.
2. See Table at solar system

Saturn

¹

1. In astronomy , the second-largest major planet , sixth from the sun. Saturn was named for the Roman god of agriculture. Like Jupiter , Saturn is composed largely of gas es and liquids . Saturn is the most distant planet plainly visible to the naked eye. ( See solar system ; see under “Mythology and Folklore.” )

Saturn

²

1. The Roman name for one of the Titans , the father of Zeus . In Roman mythology , Saturn fled from Mount Olympus after Zeus defeated the Titans. He settled in Italy and established a golden age, in which all people were equal and harvests were plentiful.

Notes

Saturn, often called the most beautiful planet, is known for the rings that encircle it.

Example Sentences

Mimas always presents the same face to Saturn, just as the Moon does to Earth.

From The Daily Beast

The authors of the new study used data from the Cassini probe orbiting Saturn to measure the libration of Mimas.

From The Daily Beast

Since one year on Saturn lasts roughly 29.5 Earth years, each season is a little more than seven Earth-years long.

From The Daily Beast

The U.S. had stopped most research and development on this kind of engine after the Saturn V moon rocket was retired.

From The Daily Beast

Of course, the failure of our family outing hardly mattered, for The Rings of Saturn can be relived by reading and re-reading.

From The Daily Beast

See that silver spiral going out from Venus and around the table to the orbit of Saturn?

From Project Gutenberg

The conditions in Saturn, where the inner ring remains parted, favours the view just stated.

From Project Gutenberg

In proof of this, the case of the planet Saturn has been cited to show that the work of creation is still in progress.

From Project Gutenberg

So also, in Troilus, v. 1809, by the seventh sphere he means the outermost sphere of Saturn.

From Project Gutenberg

Wrecked freighters from Saturn or Earth floated beside rotund grain-boats from Jupiter.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• earth