The name Saturn has a lot of meanings. To some, Saturn is the Roman God of agriculture. To others, Saturn is a much-beloved, but now-defunct, car company. But most everyone knows Saturn as one of the most interesting and mysterious planets in our solar system.

The ancients knew this planet because they could see it as a bright spot in the sky with the naked eye. They assigned myths and stories to its movements and eventually named it after a god.

Today, we know it as the sixth planet from our sun and, because we have the advantage of telescopes and space probes, we know a lot more about it than the ancients did. There is no telling what they might have named it if they had been able to see its rings, its moons and the other details mankind has learned about it over the centuries.

But Saturn still has its mysteries.

College of the Canyons will help you explore what scientists know about the planet and its mysteries, as it hosts its second Star Party at the Carl A. Rasmussen Amphitheatre on the Canyon Country campus from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., on Friday, May 21.

College faculty members and amateur astronomers will be on hand with lots of information and a number of telescopes so, unlike the ancients, people will be able to get a fantastic view of this second-largest planet

that revolves about our sun.

Attendees can come early with blankets and lawn chairs to enjoy a festive atmosphere as the sun sets in the west and Saturn emerges as the “star” of the evening.

A short orientation lecture will begin the evening, before attendees peer through professional telescopes to view Saturn firsthand.

“Last year we focused on Jupiter,” said Dr. Dena Maloney, vice president of the Canyon Country Campus and Economic Development, “and the evening turned into something special for everyone who attended. This year, Saturn will take center stage and the evening will be even better!”

The success of the 2009 Star Party was due in large part to the enthusiasm and efforts of Dr. Ram Manvi who, at the time, was the college’s Dean of Mathematics, Sciences and Engineering Technologies, and who had previously worked for many years at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Dr. Manvi died suddenly in February of this year. In honor of his memory,

a portion of the concession sales from this year’s Star Party will be donated to the Dr. Ram Manvi Memorial Scholarship.

Want to know more about Saturn?

Did you know?

• Saturn is 885,000,000 miles from the sun.

• Galileo first observed its rings through a telescope in 1610.

• Saturn’s most striking feature is its ring system, which consists of countless chunks of ice, from the

size of dust particles to pieces as

big as 10 meters.

• The planet has 60 known moons.

• Saturn is made mainly of hydrogen

and helium. It has no definite sur-

face, but likely has a rocky inner core surrounded by a layer of liquid metallic hydrogen.

• Surface temperature: midday-300 degrees Celsius.

• It takes Saturn 28.5 Earth-years to make one orbit around the sun, although it rotates in just over 10.5

hours. Long years, short days!

• The planet has been visited by the Pioneer 11, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 probes and the Cassini space craft.

Still want to know more about Saturn or astronomy or the College of the Canyons Canyon Country campus? Then bring your friends and family to this unique, educational and fun event!

The Star Party is one of many events being hosted by College of the Canyons as part of its 40th Anniversary celebration.

For more information about this event, call the College of the Canyons Canyon Country campus at (661) 362-3801.