Space / DAY 37 OF 40
Saturn passes the float test. Sort of.
Its average density is lower than water's. The bathtub is imaginary.
Here's the strange part.
Saturn wins the imaginary bath-time contest. Its average density is about 0.7 grams per cubic centimetre, below water's roughly 1. That is the whole trick behind the claim that it would float. It is a memorable way to compare densities, not a realistic proposal to lower an enormous gas planet into an even larger tub. (NASA StarChild)
This is a comparison of average densities, not a physically realistic experiment with a giant bathtub.
REALITY CHECK · TRUE OR FALSE?
Rubber duck, meet Saturn.
The Saturn bathtub story is a comparison of average densities.
Go straight to the receipts.
Curious about the methods, dates or details? Open the original source and keep the caveat in view.
ORIGINAL SOURCENASA StarChildOpen publication ↗NEXT IN THE 40-DAY TRAIL / DAY 38A 24,000-year pause. Then life continued. ↗