What is "saturn"

Saturn \Sa"turn\, n. [L. Saturnus, literally, the sower, fr. serere, satum, to sow. See Season.]

1. (Roman Myth.) One of the elder and principal deities, the son of C[oe]lus and Terra (Heaven and Earth), and the father of Jupiter. The corresponding Greek divinity was Kro`nos, later CHro`nos, Time.

2. (Astron.) One of the planets of the solar system, next in magnitude to Jupiter, but more remote from the sun. Its diameter is seventy thousand miles, its mean distance from the sun nearly eight hundred and eighty millions of miles, and its year, or periodical revolution round the sun, nearly twenty-nine years and a half. It is surrounded by a remarkable system of rings, and has eight satellites.

3. (Alchem.) The metal lead. [Archaic]

Old English Sætern, a Roman god, also "most remote planet" (then known), from Latin Saturnus, originally a name of an Italic god of agriculture, possibly from Etruscan. Derivation from Latin serere (past participle satus) "to sow" is said to be folk-etymology.\n\nAn ancient Italic deity, popularly believed to have appeared in Italy in the reign of Janus, and to have instructed the people in agriculture, gardening, etc., thus elevating them from barbarism to social order and civilization. His reign was sung by the poets as "the golden age."

[Century Dictionary]

Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant with an average radius about nine times that of Earth. Although only one-eighth the average density of Earth, with its larger volume Saturn is just over 95 times more massive. Saturn is named after the Roman god of agriculture; its astronomical symbol (♄) represents the god's sickle.

Saturn's interior is probably composed of a core of iron–nickel and rock ( silicon and oxygen compounds). This core is surrounded by a deep layer of metallic hydrogen, an intermediate layer of liquid hydrogen and liquid helium, and finally outside the Frenkel line a gaseous outer layer. Saturn has a pale yellow hue due to ammonia crystals in its upper atmosphere. Electrical current within the metallic hydrogen layer is thought to give rise to Saturn's planetary magnetic field, which is weaker than Earth's, but has a magnetic moment 580 times that of Earth due to Saturn's larger size. Saturn's magnetic field strength is around one-twentieth of Jupiter's. The outer atmosphere is generally bland and lacking in contrast, although long-lived features can appear. Wind speeds on Saturn can reach , higher than on Jupiter, but not as high as those on Neptune.

Saturn has a prominent ring system that consists of nine continuous main rings and three discontinuous arcs and that is composed mostly of ice particles with a smaller amount of rocky debris and dust. Sixty-two moons are known to orbit Saturn, of which fifty-three are officially named. This does not include the hundreds of moonlets comprising the rings. Titan, Saturn's largest moon, and the second-largest in the Solar System, is larger than the planet Mercury, although less massive, and is the only moon in the Solar System to have a substantial atmosphere.

The Saturn family of American rocket boosters was developed by a team of mostly German rocket scientists led by Wernher von Braun to launch heavy payloads to Earth orbit and beyond. Originally proposed as a military satellite launcher, they were adopted as the launch vehicles for the Apollo moon program. Three versions were built and flown: Saturn I, Saturn IB, and Saturn V.

The Saturn name was proposed by von Braun in October 1958 as a logical successor to the Jupiter series as well as the Roman god's powerful position.

President John F. Kennedy identified the Saturn I SA-5 launch as being the point where US lift capability would surpass the Soviets, after having been behind since Sputnik. This was last mentioned by him in a speech he gave at Brooks AFB in San Antonio on the day before he was assassinated.

To date, the Saturn V is the only launch vehicle to transport human beings beyond low Earth orbit. A total of 24 humans were flown to the Moon in the four years spanning December 1968 through December 1972. No Saturn rocket failed catastrophically in flight.

OSN Saturn (ОСН Сатурн УФСИН России по г. Москве; Otdel Spetsialnogo Naznacheniya Saturn) is the Moscow department of the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) special purpose unit. Saturn was formed in April 1992 as a part of the Moscow Department of Punishment Execution (UIN) under the Ministry of the Interior. In 2006, the UIN system (including all regional departments and special purpose units) was renamed the Federal Penitentiary Service, and was moved from the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Interior to the Russian Ministry of Justice. The Saturn unit is also often called "Jail Spetsnaz".

Saturn was a short-lived bi-monthly, digest sized science fiction magazine published by Candar Publishing out of New York. It produced only five issues from 1957 to 1958 as a science fiction magazine before changing to a detective magazine and then to a horror magazine specializing in weird tales.

Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun.

Saturn may also refer to:

Saturn is a progressive rock band from Islamabad, Pakistan, formed in 2003. The group was founded by lead guitarist and songwriter Salman Zaidi and vocalist & lyricist Shahbaz Zaidi, who were later joined by bassist Aashir, drummer Shahbaz Asad, and rhythm guitarist Usman Ahmad Khan. The band is well known for being one of the pioneering progressive rock groups in Pakistan. Saturn became famous after releasing their debut track "Raakh" which is Urdu for "Ashes". They later gained more popularity for their energetic performances and stage presence. Saturn is known as one of the loudest bands of Pakistan. Their debut album "Naya Din" was released on April 7, 2013.

Saturn is a German chain of electronics stores, now found in several European countries. Saturn sells household appliances, home entertainment, and media such as CDs and DVDs. With Media Markt it constitutes Media-Saturn Holding, owned by the German retail trade company METRO. It is known for its slightly coarse German-language advertising slogan "Geiz ist geil!" ("Stinginess is cool!").

With around 128 stores Saturn is one of the big players in German electronics retail business. It also has 13 stores in Austria, 17 in Poland, 2 in Luxembourg, 3 in Russia.

In 2003 Saturn and Apple Inc. signed a contract for a "store-in-store" concept, allowing consumers to purchase Apple products in special sections of some branch stores.

Saturn stores in Belgium, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey and Italy have been closed and re-opened as Media Markt.

Saturn is a god in ancient Roman religion, and a character in myth. Saturn is a complex figure because of his multiple associations and long history. He was the first god of the Capitol, known since the most ancient times as Saturnius Mons, and was seen as a god of generation, dissolution, plenty, wealth, agriculture, periodic renewal and liberation. In later developments he came to be also a god of time. His reign was depicted as a Golden Age of plenty and peace. The Temple of Saturn in the Roman Forum housed the state treasury. In December, he was celebrated at what is perhaps the most famous of the Roman festivals, the Saturnalia, a time of feasting, role reversals, free speech, gift-giving and revelry. Saturn the planet and Saturday are both named after the god.

Saturn or Saturn Devouring His Son is a 1636 painting by the Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens, now in the Museo del Prado.

It was commissioned for the Torre de la Parada by Philip IV of Spain and shows the influence of Michelangelo on Rubens, which he had picked up on his journey to Italy. The three stars at the top of the painting represent the planet Saturn as described by Galileo a few years before its painting. The central star is the planet itself, whilst the two others represent what he thought were two stars aligned with the planet - these were actually the rings around the planet, which his telescope was not powerful enough to distinguish.

In turn, the painting influenced Goya's painting of the same subject (1819–23).