SIZE IN SPACE

planet · Object guide

How big is Saturn?

Meet the planet inside the rings.

One scale. Two worlds.True diameter scale
Saturn and Earth to scaleTheir diameters differ by a factor of 9.1402. Illustrations show body diameter, not separation in space.

Body diameters to scale. Positions and surface artwork are illustrative; Saturn’s rings are excluded.

A change of perspective

9.1402× the diameter. See how the two worlds measure up.

Diameter is a distance across an object. Volume grows with the cube of that distance.

Choose a size to bring this comparison down to Earth.

Saturn: Twice the source mean radius; body diameter only, excluding rings.

Earth: Twice the source mean radius; body diameter only, excluding rings.

How we measure size →
Mean diameter

1.1646e+05 km

Twice the source mean radius; body diameter only, excluding rings.

Saturn is often recognized by the space its rings occupy. Here the disk represents the planet’s body only. Leaving the rings out makes the numerical diameter and the visible outline describe the same thing.

Compare like with like

Put Saturn beside Jupiter to compare two planetary bodies. Then try Earth. The scene does not use the outer edge of the ring system as Saturn’s diameter; that would answer a different question. The displayed value is a volume-equivalent mean diameter.

Measurement source

Planetary Physical Parameters — NASA JPL. Twice the source mean radius; body diameter only, excluding rings.

Source references