Saturn: Crash Course Astronomy #18

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Saturn is the crown jewel of the solar system, beautiful and fascinating. It is a gas giant, and has a broad set of rings made of ice particles. Moons create gaps in the rings via their gravity. Saturn has dozens of moons, including Titan, which is as big as Mercury and has a thick atmosphere and lakes of methane; and Enceladus which has an undersurface ocean and eruptions of water geysers. While we are still uncertain, it is entirely possible that either or both moons may support life.

This episode was brought to you by Squarespace http://www.squarespace.com

Table of Contents
Saturn is a Gas Giant 0:33
Moons Create Gaps in the Ice Rings 5:17
Dozens of Moons 6:18
Titan’s Methane Lakes 7:56
Enceladus’s Water Geysers 8:33
Life Potential 9:30

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PHOTOS/VIDEOS
Saturn http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/saturn/images/IMG004899.jpg [credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute/G. Ugarkovic]
Interiors http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/gallery/gas_interiors.jpg [credit: Lunar and Planetary Institute]
Saturn Ring Plane Crossing http://www.spacetelescope.org/static/archives/images/large/opo9616a.jpg [credit: Erich Karkoschka (University of Arizona Lunar & Planetary Lab) and NASA/ESA]
Translucent Rings http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=PIA18295 [credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute]
Catching its Tail http://www.ciclops.org/view_media/34501/Catching_Its_Tail?js=1 [credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute]
Enter the Vortex http://www.ciclops.org/view_media/38030/Enter_the_Vortex_In_Psychedelic_Color [credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute]
The Rose http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/multimedia/pia14944.html#.VSwz-5TF_Z0 [credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute]
Ice http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/205796main_PIA10081-hires.jpg [credit: NASA/JPL/University of Colorado]
Saturn’s rings to scale http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2014/05/02/saturn_s_rings_to_scale_thinner_than_paper.html [credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute]
Saturn’s Ring Plane http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rings_of_Saturn#/media/File:Saturn%27s_ring_plane.jpg [credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute – Cassini-Huygens/NASA]
Saturn http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/saturn/images/IMG004899.jpg [credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute/G. Ugarkovic]
Shaping the Drapes (video) http://ciclops.org/view.php?id=1361&js=1 [credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute]
Peaks http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rings_of_Saturn#/media/File:PIA11668_B_ring_peaks_2x_crop.jpg [credit: NASA / Jet Propulsion Lab / Space Science Institute]
Mimas Cassini http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimas_(moon)#/media/File:Mimas_Cassini.jpg [credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / Space Science Institute]
Cassini NAC RGB https://www.flickr.com/photos/ugordan/6896462870/sizes/o/in/photostream/ [credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute/G. Ugarkovic]
Titan http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titan_(moon)#/media/File:Titan2005.jpg [credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute]
Titan’s Nile River http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2012/11/Titan_s_Nile_River [credit: NASA/JPL–Caltech/ASI]
Lakes http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/figures/PIA17655_fig1.jpg [credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASI/USGS]
Enceladus http://www.ciclops.org/view_media/39541/Bursting-at-the-Seams [credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute]
Iapetus Ridge http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equatorial_ridge#/media/File:Iapetus_706_1419_1.jpg [credit: NASA (Cassini probe), Matt McIrvin (image mosaic)]
Hyperion http://ciclops.org/media/ir/2005/1507_3730_1.jpg [credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute]
Saturn eclipse mosaic http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rings_of_Saturn#/media/File:PIA17172_Saturn_eclipse_mosaic_bright_crop.jpg [credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / Space Science Institute]

Comments

Zain Majumder says:

Those Kerbal Space Program figurines though…

The Jolly Pidgeotto says:

isnt enceladus responsible for some of the debris in the F ring as well?

Christine Goni says:

i like saturn rings but not just that

cougarhunter33 says:

I laughed when Thought Cafe made 5 year old Phil bald.

Robert Billing says:

A few years back I was on vacation in Florida. It was a warm evening and Saturn was up. Lots of people were drifting in and out of the beach bar. I clamped a pair of binoculars onto my camera tripod, aimed at Saturn, and we all took turns having a look. One of the best evenings of my life.

Aba Zaba says:

so much CGI… Why dont you show a real photo? None of these "pictures of saturn" look alike.. i call B.S.

Shawn MMiller says:

I've never seen Saturn through a Telescope when I'd the best time to look

Shawn MMiller says:

I like your kerbals

noksookao says:

Jeb, Bill and Bob!,,

FirstRisingSouI says:

Hyperion is such a cool name.

Kaitlynn Deville says:

Cant wait to take an astronomy course!

Malfurion Hellscream says:

I LOVE SATURN

Belle Pate says:

I can't wait to see Saturn! This show is truly inspiring! The host is so passionate about astronomy he makes it all sound so poetic and fascinating (It is of course, but I never had a teacher like him.)

1992mramazing says:

I've seen saturn through a telescope once when i was about 15 years old at a boy scout camp. I just recently got into astronomy and I can't wait to get my own telescope and looking at Saturn once again.

kameir says:

Astronomy IS fun!!!

dyuthi98 says:

If you play this in 0.5 speed, he sounds stoned and like he's just coming up with these theories. The best is 00:58 xD

Geekboy says:

6:25 thats no moon

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