Welcome back, travelers! Let’s continue our journey through the solar system, exploring the fun destinations and perks of traveling to our neighboring planets. This is your guide for vacationing do’s and don’ts when it comes to interplanetary travel.
Make sure to check out parts one and two!
Saturn: The Jewel of the Solar System
Saturn has captured the interest of generations due to its beautiful, heaven-like rings; humanity’s love for the Ringed Planet outshines the possible complications of a 3.4-year, 746 million-mile journey.
Three and a half years is a long time. You never know who you’ll meet on an interplanetary journey. While still planning this trip, you may not be anticipating the possibility of finding love, but if you happen to be so lucky, don’t worry about bringing a ring. What better way to propose to your loved one than with Saturn’s rings. This serene planet would make for a breath-taking proposal.
Say you’re not in it for love; there are plenty of other adventures you can embark on. Thrill seekers can experience the risk of a lifetime, since Saturn has the fastest winds in the solar system. We suggest bungee jumping rather than skydiving, since the cord ensures that you are still secured and therefore won’t fall into Saturn’s unknown depths.
Saturn is an excellent stop for flat-Earth theorists, since Saturn is the flattest of all the planets. The scientists and philosophers of centuries ago would find appeal in Saturn for the rings and the enormity of it, but at the same time would appreciate this planet as the one which closest resembles their two-dimensional beliefs.
Saturn is for everyone. There are 62 moons, enormous rings, and adventures for all types of people. But if for no other reason, go just to comment that, “God liked it so he put a ring on it.”
It’s YUR-AN-US, not YUR-ANE-US
We aren’t second grade boys here, so let’s stop making jokes about this often-mispronounced planet. It gets way less credit for its interesting history and wealthy rain than it does for being the butt of all space jokes.
Although Uranus is 7.8 years – 1.7 billion miles – away, there are so many factors that would make this ice giant a prime vacation location. The history of this planet includes an impact by some sort of massive asteroid that knocked the planet completely on its side. For this reason, the rings around the planet are on a vertical plane rather than a horizontal plane, like Saturn’s.
Uranus’s sideways rings aren’t the only thing that sets it apart from the other planets. Since Earth’s basis of time revolves around counterclockwise rotation, Uranus would almost be going ‘back in time,’ since the planet rotates clockwise. Great Scott, you might want to pack a DeLorean!
Speaking of what to pack, make sure you remember to pack extra earmuffs along with your winter gear, since Uranus reaches the coldest temperatures of any planet. Unlike for other planets, travelers are advised to pack nose plugs. Uranus has a presence of hydrogen sulfide in its atmosphere, which causes an extreme odor similar to that of rotten eggs, which emit the same gas.
Although Uranus is a strange and underappreciated planet, there are benefits to visiting. For one, Uranus rains diamonds! There is no shortage of wealth, so we encourage travelers to pack their bags full of diamonds. People rarely realize just how much of a gem Uranus actually is.
Stay tuned for more installments in the Travel Guide Through the Solar System series to learn about vacationing to the rest of our neighboring planets!
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Glossary (Paraphrased Dictionary Definitions)
Hydrogen sulfide: A poisonous, colorless gas that smells of rotten eggs.
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