Saturn is the sixth planet from the sun and is much more distant from our star than the Earth is. In fact, Saturn is 9.5 astronomical units away from the center of our solar system. That means it is 9.5 times farther from the sun than the Earth. Naturally, that is going to create some very cold temperatures. So what is the temperature on Saturn?
The average temperature on Saturn ranges from -300 Fahrenheit (-173 Celsius) to -170 F (-113 C). That gives Saturn an overall average temperature of -288 F (-178 C). Unlike Earth, Saturn has a gaseous environment that heats and cools differently than our planet. The sun has little to do with the temperature of Saturn but rather the internal depth of which you descend into the clouds.
We think of weather and temperature being affected by heated air masses that float around above the ground that are pushed by wind and heated by the sun. Saturn’s foreign environment is quite different and the temperature largely depends on the depth in the atmosphere rather than external factors.
This leads to completely different weather and temperature systems than we are used to here on Earth leading to some surprising values. While the surface level of Saturn is, unsurprisingly, cold the rest of the planet has temperatures that might surprise you.
How hot can Saturn get?
At cloud level, which is what we would consider as surface level, the hottest Saturn will get is -170 Fahrenheit. If that sounds cold, that is because it is. However, Saturn can get far warmer if you go deep under the clouds.
Much of Saturn’s internal heat is generated via pressure and internal heating from the core of the planet rather than light from the sun. The farther you go under the clouds, the higher the pressure becomes, and the higher the temperature goes.
The highest recorded heats found deep inside Saturn have gotten as high as 134 F (57 C) which is equal to some of the hottest temperatures on Earth. These temperatures were recorded at depths where the pressure was similar to that found on the bottom of our oceans.
It is speculated that the core of the planet would have much higher pressures still and even higher temperatures but Saturn is so large and so distant that it has been impossible to confirm the conditions that deep within the planet. The pressure combined with the radiant heat that is generated by planet cores could result in some truly high temperatures however, the conditions and the distance to get to such a place are far out of reach of humans.
What are the high and low temperatures on Saturn?
Much like Saturn, this question is multilayered. At cloud level, your high temperature at any given time is going to be -170 F with a low temperature of -300 F or lower depending on how fast the wind is blowing.
In the middle level of clouds, your high temperature can get all the way up to 27 F, which is still below freezing but much warmer than the temperature closer to the surface. The low temperature comes in at -127 F.
At the deepest level that humans have recorded on Saturn so far, the high temperature can get all the way up to 134 F with a low temperature of 50 F. That is almost livable for people but the pressures would be fatal to living things.
| Layer | High | Low |
|---|---|---|
| Upper Clouds | -170 F | -300 F |
| Middle Clouds | 27 F | -127 F |
| Deepest Levels | 134 F | 50 F |
Next time you take out your Telescopes For Viewing Planets you will know the temperature of Saturn.
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