University District in Columbus in Franklin County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Saturn
← Uranus - Jupiter →
Gas Giant
Average Distance: 9.5 AU
Orbital Period: 29.4 years
Rotational Period: 10 hours 39 minutes
Mass (Earth = 1): 95.2
Diameter (Earth = 1): 9.45
Number of Moons: 82
Largest Moon: Titan: 1.48 Lunar Diameters
Average Temperature: -218°F / -139°C
Atmosphere: Hydrogen (H2) 96.3%, Helium 3.2%, Methane (CH4) 0.45%
Saturn, the second largest planet in the solar system, is a gas giant like Jupiter but only 1/3 as massive. Saturn's dramatic rings are composed of countless moonlets made primarily of water ice that orbit the planet in a layer 150,000 miles across but only about 100 yards thick. Visits by the Voyager and Cassini space missions revealed intricate structures in the rings, shaped in part by gravitational pulls from Saturn's many moons.
It takes 1 hour and 19 minutes for light to travel from the Sun to Saturn.
The Voyager 2 spacecraft was launched on August 20, 1977. It traveled for 4 years to reach Saturn.
Erected by The Ohio State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Astronomy.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Air & Space
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Location. 40° 0.241′ N, 83° 1.022′ W. Marker is in Columbus, Ohio, in Franklin County. It is in the University District. Marker can be reached from West Woodruff Avenue just east of Tuttle Park Place, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 275 W Woodruff Ave, Columbus OH 43210, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Remembrance Park (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Jupiter (about 400 feet away); Freedom Brutus (about 500 feet away); General Curtis E. LeMay (about 500 feet away); The Bert L. and Iris S. Wolstein Gateway (about 500 feet away); Jesse Cleveland (Jesse) Owens (about 700 feet away); Reflections on Pride and Tradition (about 800 feet away); "Build it for Loyalty, for Spirit,… (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Columbus.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 3, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 29, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 92 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 29, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
