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Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and is the second largest in the solar system with an equatorial diameter of 119,300 kilometers (74,130 miles). Saturn's ring system makes the planet one of the most beautiful objects in the solar system. Its day is 10 hours, 39 minutes long, and it takes 29.5 Earth years to revolve about the Sun. It orbits the Sun at a mean distance of 1,429,400,000 km. The atmosphere is primarily composed of hydrogen with small amounts of helium and methane. Saturn is the only planet less dense than water (about 30 percent less). In the unlikely event that a large enough ocean could be found, Saturn would float in it. Saturn's hazy yellow hue is marked by broad atmospheric banding similar to, but fainter than, that found on Jupiter. |
