Our sources on Saturn
The pages of saturne.net rely on verifiable institutional and scientific sources: space agencies (NASA, JPL, ESA), reference bodies (the International Astronomical Union, IMCCE), peer-reviewed journals, museums and editions of ancient texts. This page groups them by field; each article also cites its own references at the end. Our fact-checking method is described on the about page.
Contents
Space agencies and missions
- NASA Science – Saturn: NASA's official overview of the planet, rings, moons and missions.
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL): the center that managed the Cassini mission and the Voyager probes (Cassini-Huygens, Voyager).
- ESA – European Space Agency: builder and operator of the Huygens probe, partner in Hubble and Webb.
- Italian Space Agency (ASI): Cassini partner that supplied, among other things, the high-gain antenna and part of the radar.
- CNES: the French space agency, involved in several Cassini-Huygens instruments.
Data and ephemerides
- NASA NSSDCA – Saturn Fact Sheet: reference physical and orbital parameters (Saturn facts).
- JPL Solar System Dynamics and JPL Horizons: ephemerides, satellite parameters and planetary positions.
- NASA Planetary Data System and its Rings Node: archives of raw mission data.
- IMCCE: France's official ephemeris institute, for events and oppositions (opposition dates).
- IOTA – International Occultation Timing Association: occultation predictions and timings (lunar occultations).
Images
- JPL Planetary Photojournal: official images sorted by mission and PIA number (real photos of Saturn).
- ESA/Webb and ESA/Hubble: space telescope images under a CC BY 4.0 license.
- Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI): the operations center for Hubble and Webb.
Nomenclature and discoveries
- International Astronomical Union (IAU): the naming authority for celestial bodies.
- Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature (IAU/USGS): official names of craters, seas and other features on Saturn's moons.
- Minor Planet Center: publisher of the circulars announcing new moons, including the 128 moons of March 2025 (how many moons).
Scientific literature
- NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS): the standard bibliographic search engine for astronomy papers.
- Peer-reviewed journals cited on the site: Nature, Science, Icarus, The Planetary Science Journal, Astronomy & Astrophysics, Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets.
Spaceflight history and the Saturn V
- NASA History: official history of the Apollo and Saturn programs (Saturn V rocket).
- Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum: collections and historical records.
- Space Center Houston, Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex and the U.S. Space & Rocket Center: the three places that display a genuine Saturn V (where to see a Saturn V).
Art, history and mythology
- Museo del Prado: catalog entries for the works of Goya and Rubens (Saturn Devouring His Son).
- Encyclopaedia Britannica: historical and biographical overviews.
- Perseus Digital Library: Greek and Latin texts in critical editions and translation.
- Key ancient texts: Hesiod, Theogony; Ovid, Fasti and Metamorphoses; Virgil, Aeneid and Georgics; Macrobius, Saturnalia (Saturn mythology).
Observing and outreach
- Sky & Telescope: observing magazine, sky calendars and practical guides.
- British Astronomical Association: Saturn section and archives of amateur observations.
- Société astronomique de France: France's leading astronomy society, publisher of l'Astronomie.
FAQ
Where do the Saturn figures on this site come from?
Physical and orbital parameters come mainly from NASA (the NSSDCA fact sheet and JPL Solar System Dynamics) and from recent peer-reviewed research, for example the day length measured by ring seismology.
Are NASA's Saturn images free to use?
Images produced by NASA are generally not subject to copyright in the United States, provided the source is credited. ESA/Hubble and ESA/Webb images are released under a Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license.
Who names Saturn's moons?
The International Astronomical Union assigns official names to moons and their surface features, based on proposals from the discoverers and on set themes, such as giants from Norse, Gallic or Inuit mythology.