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What is believed to be inside Saturn’s core?
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Saturn
Saturn and its spectacular rings, in a natural-color composite of 126 images taken by the Cassini spacecraft on October 6, 2004. The view is directed toward Saturn's southern hemisphere, which is tipped toward the Sun. Shadows cast by the rings are visible against the bluish northern hemisphere, while the planet's shadow is projected on the rings to the left.
It is believed that Saturn contains a dense central core composed of a mixture of rock and ice. This core is estimated to have a mass of approximately 15–18 times that of Earth.1
While the precise distribution of material within the planet's interior cannot be determined from current data, scientists suggest that Saturn may contain a total mass of material denser than hydrogen and helium equivalent to as much as 30 Earth masses. Calculations regarding the planet's thermal evolution further support the theory that it originated with a core of 10–20 Earth masses, which formed through the accretion of ice-rich planetesimals before accumulating its massive gaseous envelope.1