History UsefulNotes / Saturn

The planet sometimes known as [[ShoutOut the Lord of the Rings]]. It is the furthest out of the five planets known to Earth observers from antiquity[[note]]although Uranus is barely visible with the naked eye under ideal conditions, there is no evidence that it was ever spotted by any ancient astronomers[[/note]], and the dimmest as a result (though it is still brighter than every star in the night sky except for Sirius and Canopus), although its famous rings were not known until telescopic observation by UsefulNotes/GalileoGalilei discovered them in 1610.

The planet sometimes known as [[ShoutOut the Lord of the Rings]]. It is the furthest out of the five planets known to Earth observers from antiquity[[note]]although Uranus is barely visible with the naked eye under ideal conditions, there is no evidence that it was ever spotted by any ancient astronomers[[/note]], and the most dim as a result (though it is still brighter than every star in the night sky except for Sirius and Canopus), although its famous rings were not known until telescopic observation by UsefulNotes/GalileoGalilei discovered them in 1610.

It is very likely that the four terrestrial planets, and by extension humanity, have Saturn to thank for their continued existence. Current theories on solar system formation state that it is typical for large gas giants to migrate inward until they orbit extremely close to their stars, often close enough that a full revolution takes only weeks, or even days. Jupiter most likely would have done the same, destroying everything in its path via gravitational forces, if Saturn had not formed with sufficient mass and in the right position to yank Jupiter back, allowing the inner planets to continue forming. This migration also not only pushed Uranus and Neptune to their current positions, but had them ''swap'' positions (Neptune had originally been closer to the Sun than Uranus). The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Tack_Hypothesis Grand Tack Hypothesis]] posits that this ''did'' happen, and that Jupiter rampaged through the inner Solar system on a path towards the Sun, robbing Mars of material, launching planets towards each other or into the Sun, and very nearly reaching the location of the infant Earth, before Saturn's formation captured Jupiter in an orbital resonance that 'calmed' the King of the Planets, which reversed course from the effects of Saturn's gravitational pull and eventually reached its present orbital distance.

* The ''Atlas: Space'' albums of Sleeping At Last feature music themed around all the planets; "Saturn" is the most popular of them, with the message of it being that despite everything, TheWorldIsJustAwesome.

[[AC:Tabletop Games]]

The planet sometimes known as [[ShoutOut the Lord of the Rings]]. It is the furthest out of the five planets known to Earth observers from antiquity[[note]]although Uranus is barely visible with the naked eye under ideal conditions, there is no evidence that it was ever spotted by any ancient astronomers[[/note]], and the most dim as a result, although its famous rings were not known until telescopic observation by UsefulNotes/GalileoGalilei discovered them in 1610.

The planet sometimes known as [[ShoutOut the Lord of the Rings]]. It is the furthest out of the five planets known to Earth observers from antiquity[[note]]although Uranus is barely visible with the naked eye under ideal conditions[[/note]], and the most dim as a result, although its famous rings were not known until telescopic observation by UsefulNotes/GalileoGalilei discovered them in 1610.

* ''ComicBook/{{Legion of Super-Heroes}}'': Saturn Girl and her people are a race of telepaths native to Saturn's moon Titan.

Saturn is the 6th planet in the Solar System, the second most massive (about 95 Earth masses), and the second highest volume, though it's also the least dense (on average, it is less dense than liquid water). It is made mainly of hydrogen and helium gas, with a possibly rocky core in the center, and additional trace elements. Saturn's atmosphere, though looking bland in most far-away pictures, has intense cyclones and storms, and the second fastest winds in the solar system on average (after Neptune). Thanks to its 10.6 hour rotation, the planet bulges from centrifugal force, making it appear a little squashed.