Here we have three images of Saturn taken using the Liverpool Telescope over the past week. Although we are able to see some horizontal surface features on the gas giant planet, the observations are more useful in showing how the clarity of images can vary over time, dependent on how much moisture and turbulence is in the atmosphere.

The 4800km wide Cassini division (or dark gap) is clearly visible within Saturn's complex ring system, a system that is primarily made up of water ice particles ranging in size from micrometres to metres. Given that the gap is around a third the diameter of Earth, we can quickly determine that Saturn is much larger in comparison.

The following link provides a learning activity related to the characteristics of the planets in our Solar System.