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It\\u2019s a long time between birthdays on Saturn. That\\u2019s because a year on the giant planet lasts about 29 and a half Earth years. That\\u2019s how long it takes the planet to complete a single orbit around the Sun. That adds up to a lot of days \\u2014 more than 24 thousand sunrises and sunsets between birthday cakes.

The exact number of days has been a little unclear. Because Saturn is a big ball of gas, it\\u2019s hard to measure the length of its day. There aren\\u2019t any mountains or lakes or continents to track as the planet rotates. And different latitudes and depths can rotate at different rates.

Without solid landmarks, planetary scientists use other methods to measure the length of a day. They track features in the planet\\u2019s clouds, which give an approximate length. They look at features in Saturn\\u2019s rings, which are pulled along by the planet\\u2019s gravity. And they use spacecraft to track radio waves produced by Saturn\'s magnetic field.

Those methods have produced different results, ranging from about 10 hours and 14 minutes to 10 hours and 45 minutes. The best average is about 10 and a half hours \\u2014 giving Saturn some pretty short days.

Saturn is in great view tonight. It looks like a bright star quite close to the Moon. They\\u2019re in the south-southwest as night falls, and set in late evening.
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Script by Damond Benningfield

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