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Why does Saturn give off more energy than it receives from the Sun?

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Saturn
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.

Saturn radiates approximately twice as much energy into space as it receives from the Sun, indicating that the planet possesses a significant internal heat source.1

While the internal heat of some planets can be attributed to the slow cooling of their initial formation, calculations suggest that if Saturn had simply been cooling over the age of the solar system, its energy output would have dropped below current levels billions of years ago. The most widely accepted explanation for this additional energy is the gravitational settling of helium within the planet's interior.1

In Saturnā€™s deep interior, helium is thought to precipitate out of a solution of hydrogen and form dense droplets. As these droplets "rain" downward into deeper, higher-pressure regions, potential energy is converted into kinetic energy. This motion is then damped by friction, which generates heat that is transported to the atmosphere via convection and subsequently radiated into space.1