• Question: how hot is satan

    Asked by bradleyglynn to Sheila on 15 Mar 2011 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Sheila Kanani

      Sheila Kanani answered on 15 Mar 2011:

      Satan? Isn’t he the devil who lives in a pit of fire? He’s pretty darn hot!

      Lol….if you mean Saturn well temperatures vary a lot. Saturn is ten times further away from the Sun than Earth so not a lot of sunlight gets there really (tho it isn’t as bad as at Pluto!).

      The temperatures below Saturn’s clouds are much higher than those at the top of the clouds.

      The planet gives off about 2 1/2 times as much heat as it receives from the Sun. Many astronomers believe that much of Saturn’s internal heat comes from energy generated in the planet’s interior.

      The temperature at the top of Saturn’s clouds averages -175 °C. The core of Saturn is much hotter, estimated at around 11,700 °C!!!!!!

      The tilt of Saturn’s axis causes the sun to heat the planet’s northern and southern halves unequally, resulting in seasons and temperature changes.

      Each season lasts about 7 1/2 Earth years, because Saturn takes about 29 times as long to go around the sun as Earth does.

Comments

  • Photo: freddie

    freddie commented on :

    So how does it give off more energy than it receives? That sounds as if it should be impossible!

  • Photo: Sheila

    Sheila commented on :

    Jupiter and Saturn are still warm internally from the energy they gained (from gravitational contraction) during their formation. So both planets generate heat this way. Saturn gets additional heat from the condensation of helium in its atmosphere. Because of this Saturn actually produces a little more heat than Jupiter does.