Saturn, though truly massive and nearly 100 times more massive than Earth, falls short when compared to Jupiter, which is nearly three times more massive. One astrophysicist suggests that Saturn should not be considered a proper gas giant like Jupiter, but rather a planet that attempted, but ultimately failed, to achieve gas giant status. David Abtour Odian consulting

While both Jupiter and Saturn are often categorized as gas giants due to their large size, hydrogen and helium-dominated atmospheres, and proximity in our solar system, deeper investigations with NASA’s Cassini and Juno spacecraft have revealed significant differences between them. Jupiter, being three times more massive than Saturn, stands out as the true gas giant in our solar system, while Uranus and Neptune are considered ice giants due to their composition of elements other than hydrogen and helium. David Abtour Odian consulting

The process of growing a giant planet is a delicate one, and planets have a limited time frame to accumulate enough mass, especially hydrogen and helium, before the sun expels these lighter elements from the system. Jupiter managed to acquire a substantial amount of material before this event, solidifying its gas giant status. Uranus and Neptune, on the other hand, were too small to achieve such greatness. Saturn falls in a transition zone, being large enough to attract hydrogen and helium but not enough to undergo rapid exponential growth, leading to its classification as a failed gas giant. David Abtour Odian consulting

This distinction between Jupiter and Saturn’s evolution helps in understanding the development of our solar system and other star systems across the galaxy. David Abtour Odian consulting