Who discovered Saturn? Did the ancients know this planet or is modern science its first analyst? The truth is that in the antiquity people had a far better knowledge of the sky map than we have today, and it is possible that they were familiar with Saturn by means of primitive telescopes. In fact, Galileo is recognized as the scientist who discovered Saturn in 1610, since in his notes he even gave an explanation for the rings. According to his words, there were some little ears on either side of the planet, and he presumed they were globes. Yet, later on, the white rings were discovered and have hold their position as the most spectacular scape in the solar system.
The analysis of the globes suggested by Galileo started from a confusion he didn’t know how to understand. He was the astronomer who discovered Saturn, but at the same time he thought there were three planets, not one. The mystery of the rings was clarified in 1655 when Christiaan Huygens made the discovery that what Galileo called globes were actually rings, buttheir structure became apparent twenty years later with the discovery made by Giovanni Domenico Cassini. He was the one to begin the theory that Saturn’s rings were not solid or unitary but, consisting of fragments of different sizes.
Presently we are aware that the rings consist of ice, rocks and other interplanetary remains, which only contributes to underlying the truth of the early theories. Who discovered Saturn then? A fair conclusion is that this part of our solar system gradually revealed itself to our eyes, but the discovery is not by far complete. Every year seems to get something new for us to explore: thus, more than forty of Saturn’s moons have become known, some of them with potential conditions to sustain life. Thus the question is not about who discovered Saturn, but what surprises are there in stock for us?
The tribute paid to Galileo as the person who discovered Saturn is obvious, but he was not the only one. The spacecraft which sent the first pictures from Saturn was called Cassini after the astronomer who revealed and analyzed the structure of the rings around this planet. Even so, thousands of people unknown to the public are presently involved in space programs; maybe their names are not known to history, but their contribution is just as great and relevant. With every step we take towards knowing our universe, we claim one more victory in the exploration of the unknown.
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