Samuel Chiltern answered
The average atmospheric temperature on Saturn is thought to be -140 degrees Celsius, although astronomers haven't been able to get a probe close enough to the planet to take actual readings.
The Variation of Temperatures on Saturn
As with all planets, the temperature can fluctuate with the time of day, and the season. However, Saturn itself radiates 2.5 times the amount of heat that it receives from the Sun.
This is partly due to its distance from the Sun, which is almost 10 times greater than Earth, but also due to an internal process known as helium precipitation. This process is basically the Saturnian equivalent of rain, but it also happens to be a process that generates heat too.
Due to its distance from the Sun, its own capacity for generating heat, and its thick atmosphere, the temperature on Saturn doesn't vary much between day-time and night-time.
The Sun appears 10 times smaller in the sky from Saturn, and the planet only receives one percent of the energy that Earth enjoys. Furthermore, the thick atmosphere surrounding Saturn reflects most of the heat from the Sun that it receives, anyway. So, in reality, the Sun has less influence over Saturn than you might think.
The biggest effect that the Sun has on Saturn is seasonal. When spring comes to the northern hemisphere once every 30 years (the period of Saturn's orbit round the Sun), it causes an enormous storm to erupt, which warms the affected areas of the atmosphere by as much as 20 degrees Celsius.
The Variation of Temperatures on Saturn
As with all planets, the temperature can fluctuate with the time of day, and the season. However, Saturn itself radiates 2.5 times the amount of heat that it receives from the Sun.
This is partly due to its distance from the Sun, which is almost 10 times greater than Earth, but also due to an internal process known as helium precipitation. This process is basically the Saturnian equivalent of rain, but it also happens to be a process that generates heat too.
Due to its distance from the Sun, its own capacity for generating heat, and its thick atmosphere, the temperature on Saturn doesn't vary much between day-time and night-time.
The Sun appears 10 times smaller in the sky from Saturn, and the planet only receives one percent of the energy that Earth enjoys. Furthermore, the thick atmosphere surrounding Saturn reflects most of the heat from the Sun that it receives, anyway. So, in reality, the Sun has less influence over Saturn than you might think.
The biggest effect that the Sun has on Saturn is seasonal. When spring comes to the northern hemisphere once every 30 years (the period of Saturn's orbit round the Sun), it causes an enormous storm to erupt, which warms the affected areas of the atmosphere by as much as 20 degrees Celsius.
