Saturn’s Rings: Spectacular Facts and Travel Time from Earth

KOMPAS.com – Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and is named the second largest planet in the solar system, after Jupiter.

Saturn isn’t the only planet in the solar system to have rings, but Saturn’s rings are the most unique and are nothing short of spectacular.

Reporting from NASA, there have been several space missions that have visited Saturn, one of which is Cassini, which orbited Saturn 294 times from 2004 to 2017.

Distance from Earth to Saturn

The average distance between Earth and Saturn is 1.4 billion kilometers, while Saturn’s closest distance from Earth is 1.2 billion kilometers.

Also read: What Makes Up Saturn’s Rings?

Saturn is 9.5 astronomical units (AU) from the Sun. Therefore, Saturn is 8.5 AU from Earth because 1 AU is the distance from the Sun to Earth

To calculate the travel time from Earth to Saturn, it is not only the distance that needs to be taken into account, but also the route, the speed of the spacecraft and the technology used.

Travel to Saturn from Earth

Reporting from Starlust, so far, there are 4 space missions that include Saturn in their flight plans or make it the final destination.

Pioneer 11, which was launched in 1973, took 6.5 years to get to Saturn. Then, the Voyager 1 mission that flew in 1977 could reach Saturn in a shorter time, namely 3 years and 2 months.

Also read: Why Are Saturn’s Rings So Bright?

Still in the same year, the Voyager 2 mission was also launched and reached Saturn within 4 years by flying across Jupiter and with the help of gravity.

In late 1977, the Cassini mission was launched and successfully reached Saturn in 6 years and 9 months, with observations and gravitational support from Venus and Earth.

Thus, the length of the journey to Saturn depends heavily on the route, launch vehicle, gravity assist and method of arrival. However, the general estimate is that it will take 4-7 years to reach Saturn.

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2023-08-19 07:00:00
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