Name________________ Date_________________

Cyberhunt Exploring Saturn

1. Saturn is the sixth planet from the sun and the second largest planet in our solar system. Only the planet _____________is larger. In fact, Saturn is so big that more than __________ earths, lined up next to one another, could fit across its diameter!

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/kids/fun-facts.cfm

2. Unlike Earth, Saturn does not have a solid surface. It is known as a gas giant planet because it is made up mostly of simple ___________ and ____________ molecules. Inside Saturn, these gases actually become liquids.

http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/saturn/planet_structure.html&edu=elem

3. Saturn is best known for the enormous, beautiful rings that orbit it. These rings aren’t solid; they are made up mostly of __________________________________. Some of these are as tiny as grains of sand, while others are much larger than skyscrapers.

http://Saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/kids/fun-facts-saturn.cfm

4. In 1610, Galileo became the first person to observe the rings, although at the time he thought they were two “handles” or large ___________________ next to the planet! Saturn’s ring system actually has ________major divisions, each of which has thousands of individual ringlets.

http://www.solarviews.com/eng/saturnrings.htm

5. So far, scientists have discovered at least _______moons of all different sizes orbiting Saturn. One of the most well known of these, the icy _______________, looks like the “Death Star” space station from the Star Wars movies!

http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/saturn/moons_and_rings.html&edu=elem

6. Titan is the largest of Saturn’s moons. It is unique because it is the only moon we know of that has a thick ____________. Scientists believe this means Titan might be able to support life. However, this also makes it hard for scientists to see this moon from Earth.

http://www.nineplanets.org/titan.html

7. Scientists have always wanted a closer look at Saturn. In 1997, NASA launched the spacecraft Cassini, named after__________________. Cassini arrived at Saturn in _________. It is the first craft to study Saturn in depth from orbit.

http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/missions/cassini.html

8. The Cassini mission includes a special probe called Huygens. NASA expects Huygens to parachute from Cassini down to ___________________ early in 2005. During its rapid descent, Huygens should take at least __________________.

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/kids/fun-facts-misc.cfm