Observer's Corner for August
Mars Versus Saturn
This Month...Mars and Saturn are Show Stoppers
Mars
Distance from Sun:
Approximately 129 million miles
Number of Moons:
2 (Deimos and Phobos)
Diameter:
Approximately 4212 miles (6779km)
The second to the smallest planet Mercury
Atmosphere Composition:
95% Carbon Dioxide, 2.7 Nitrogen, 1.6 % Argon, plus Trace Gases
Length of Day:
24 hours, 42 minutes in Earth time (Very similar to Earth)
Length of a Year
1.89 Earth years, 687 days (the length of one orbit around the Sun)
Saturn
Distance from Sun:
Approximately 856 million miles
Number of Moons:
More than 69 (18 have been named)
Titan is the largest moon of Saturn and the second largest moon in the entire solar system.
Diameter:
Approximately 75,000 miles (120,000 km)
The second largest planet -- more than nine Earths could stretch across it.
Atmosphere Composition:
97% Hydrogen gas, about 3% Helium gas and about 0.05% methane, plus ammonia.
Length of Day:
10 hours, 39 minutes in Earth time (the length of one rotation) flattened at the poles because of its very rapid rotation
Length of a Year
29.5 Earth years, 10755 days (the length of one orbit around the Sun)
