Saturn. Sequence showing the axial tilt of the gas giant planet Saturn. The images were taken about a year apart (from 1996 at lower left, to 2000 at upper right). The relative motion of Saturn and Earth around the Sun produce different views of the tilted ring system, from edge-on (lower left) to open (upper right). This axial tilt causes seasons in the 29-Earth-year Saturn year. This sequence (fall in northern hemisphere) was captured using the Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Planetary Camera 2. Saturn has a diameter of around 120,000 kilometers. It orbits the Sun at a mean distance of around 1400 million kilometers.