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When Was Saturn Discovered

01 Mar, 2008 when was

Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in our solar system. It is classified as a gas giant and is surrounded by rings. But when was Saturn discovered? This article will answer that very question and will also give you three interesting facts about Saturn.

When Was Saturn Discovered?
The short answer to this question is that nobody knows! Saturn was known in prehistoric times, before the ancient Romans and the ancient Greeks. The Roman god Saturnus was the Roman god of agriculture and harvest. The planet was named after this Roman god. So now you know that Saturn was discovered in prehistoric times. But when were its rings discovered?

When Were Saturn’s Rings Discovered?
In 1610, Galileo Galilei looked through his telescope and saw Saturn’s planetary rings, but his telescope was not good enough to properly identify them. In fact, he thought that he was seeing three different planets. In 1612 Saturn’s rings were on the same plane as the Earth so could not be seen, and Galileo was very confused! When they reappeared in 1613 he was even more confused! Using a far more superior telescope, Christiaan Huygens, in 1655, first discovered that Saturn was surrounded by rings. He actually though there was only one ring! Twenty years later Giovanni Domenico Cassini discovered that Saturn actually had multiple rings. In 1859, James Clerk Maxwell hypothesised that the ‘rings’ were all just individual small particles. In other words, he hypothesised that the rings were ‘broken’. Only in 1895 was his theory proven correct. We now know that Saturn is surrounded by mostly ice particles, with some rocks and other debris. Now you know when Saturn’s rings were discovered, let’s look at those three cool facts about Saturn.

Three Interesting Facts about Saturn
Fact 1: Saturn is composed mainly of hydrogen gas (93%), with smaller proportions of helium, ammonia, methane some other gases.

Fact 2: Wind speeds on Saturn can reach an impressive 1900km/h (over 1150mph).

Fact 3: 60 moons have been identified around Saturn, but a few may be large dust clamps which are actually part of the rings.

(42) Comments

  2. Want to know it

    No, it was 1610 when he saw the rings (which he thought were planets). Galileo lived between 1564 and 1642.

  4. dylan ledford

    ur web site has helped me with a science project but i have to agree with what the other dude said, galileo discovered saturn in 1610 not in prehistoric times.

  5. Want to know it

    No, Saturn was definitely discovered in prehistoric times. Galileo did not discover Saturn. He only discovered the rings (he already knew the planet existed).

  8. krystalin

    this site was very helpful for a school assessment task thank 4 all your awesome help

    xoxo krystalin xoxo

  17. uhkeyme

    thanks this didnt really help me and galleio discovered it in 1610 thank u very much this is the first website i went to that said it was discovered in prehistoric times

  24. dark lord voldemort

    This helped me with my science project a lot, but is there any proof that Saturn was discovered in prehistoric times?

    Thanks

  25. Want to know it

    Lots of proof, including:

    1. It can be seen with the naked eye.
    2. It was mentioned in the writings of many ancient cultures (Chinese and Japanese).
    3. It is mentioned in many mythologies (Roman and Greek).

  28. amelia

    thanks so much i needed to finish my project and i needed to know the date when it was fond thanks super much!!!!
    XOXO,

    *amelia yourcheck*

  29. Denesha

    thanks but do you think that you can add more to your subjects on Saturn it be great for people who have to make brochures on this type of subject

  32. Want to know it

    Sure Kizz. In order from the ring closest to the ring furthest from the planet the names are:

    D, C, B, A, F, G, E

    Pretty boring names aren’t they!

  37. Want to know it

    Deven,

    No one really knows for sure what Saturn is made of. It is believed that is has a rocky core surrounded by hydrogen and helium.

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