Saturn, Orbital Physics, and the birth of the Solar System

Casini saturn Hexagonal Polar Storm rotating animation with several storm cells - NASA

Saturn isn’t just another gas giant — it’s a gravitational stage where some of the most important dramas and actors of our solar system are still unfolding. Every moon, every ring particle, every jet of plasma from its magnetosphere is a piece of the puzzle, and if you watch closely enough, you start to see the evolution of our solar system written into their motions.

Neptune: The Nautical Sailor Planet at the Edge of the Solar System

Neptune in ultraviolet blue, a Voyager2 image from 1989

Neptune is a fascinating system, continually forging the outer edges of our solar system. The gas giant’s orbit is littered with debris, dust and objects that travel through the Oort Cloud and into the Kuiper Belt and get caught in the gravity of the huge frozen gas giant. With a day lasting about 16 hours, … Read more