Expert: Ed - 5/31/2007

Question
Can you Describe the rotation and revolution of saturn. Does it have a normal orbit?

Answer
Seneca,
Well, I'm not sure exactly what you need to know.... here is NASA's website about Saturn:

http://www.nasa.gov/worldbook/saturn_worldbook.html

If this is for school, you probably ought to mention that Saturn rotates very quickly.  It has a diameter almost ten times larger than Earth's, but it rotates once every ten hours.  That's incredibly fast.

That's kind of the average rotation speed, however. The Cassini probe showed us that Saturn rotates in a unusual way, apparently at different speeds in different regions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn_%28planet%29#Rotational_behavior

Saturn's orbit is not unusual, but it does have an interesting side affect.  Our view of Saturn's rings changes substantially as the planet goes through its orbit.

http://haydenplanetarium.org/resources/ava/page/index.php?file=P0421satuseas

I hope this is helpful.  Keep Looking Up!
--Ed