Saturn's Surprises

Scientists awaiting the Voyager 1 encounter with Saturn in November 1980 were concerned that the second giant planet might not be as interesting as the first (see "By Jove," Natural History, May 1980, describing Voyager's encounter with Jupiter). Saturn's famous rings might be featureless. The surfaces of its satellites might reveal no record of geologic activity. A uniform haze might hide the colorful swirling clouds on the planet. And the atmosphere of Titan, Saturn's largest moon, might prove to be disappointingly thin. But Saturn was not a disappointment, its richness proving once again that new worlds are worth exploring.