Saturn is the sixth planet in the solar system from the Sun and it is the second largest after its neighbour, Jupiter. Visually, Saturn is very distinctive with its yellow hazy colour and the prominent rings which travel around the planet. As well as using energy gained from the Sun, Saturn also has its own internal energy source which it uses to some extent.

Saturn's atmosphere is made up principally of hydrogen (around 94%) and helium (6%), but there are traces of a wide range of other gases, including ammonia, phosphine, methane and propane. It is thought the atmosphere is made up of three different layers. The top layer is a cloud deck, made up of predominantly ammonia vapours. This layer of cloud is extremely cold with temperatures of around -190C. There is no proof of what is underneath this layer, due to the problems associated with getting close to the planet, but it is believed the second layer is ammonia hydrosulphide clouds and then underneath there is thought to be a layer of water vapour clouds.

The pale yellow colour of Saturn is due to both the gases which its atmosphere is made up of and also the distance it is from the Sun. Planets nearer to the Sun, such as Jupiter are red in colour, whereas those further away, such as Uranus and Neptune are more blue in appearance.

Saturn's day is a lot shorter than that on Earth. It takes 10 hours, 39 minutes and 20 seconds to rotate on its own axis. However the time it takes to travel around the Sun is some 29 and a half Earth years.

The planet itself is thought to be made up of a liquid, until the core. It would be a bit like being covered in water oceans, but in the case of Saturn, the seas would be liquid hydrogen.

The winds on Saturn are very noticeable. The planet experiences high-speed 'jet-streams' which at the equator can reach about 1,100mph, a lot faster than on Jupiter. At different latitudes, however, the speeds are different, and they slow down as they get higher. The strongest winds are near the equator, whereas the slowest are near the poles. These winds are what causes the banding effect on Saturn, as they blow in either east to west, or west to east directions.

There is also evidence of very strong storms on Saturn. These are much more severe than the ones we experience on Earth, and a lot larger as well - the length of which maybe 1,850 miles across. There hasn't been any lightning observations, however experts believe flashes are possible on Saturn.

The thousands of rings which surround Saturn are made up mainly of large particles, they are most likely pieces of very small rock which are coated in frozen water and other ices - this would explain why the rings are quite bright.

In 2004, a space orbiter called Cassini is due to travel to Saturn to undertake some in-depth studies. After that, it is hoped more can be unveiled about the weather on Saturn.

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