Satsuma Rebellion See Saigo Takamori
saturation State of an organic compound in which all its carbon atoms are linked by single covalent bonds. Saturation also means the state of a solution or vapour (see vaporization) in which it has the highest possible concentration of the dissolved or vaporized material at a given pressure and temperature. Though it is sometimes possible to bring about super¬ saturation (a concentration exceeding the equilibrium value), such solu¬ tions or vapours are unstable and spontaneously revert to the saturated state, accompanied by the transformation of the excess material to the solid or liquid form (precipitation). See also fatty acid; hydrogenation.
Saturn Roman god of agriculture, equated with the Greek deity Cronus. His wife was Ops, the goddess of plenty, and his children included Juno, Neptune, and Ceres. His festival, Saturnalia (beginning December 17), became the most popular Roman festival; its influence is still felt in the celebration of Christmas and the Western New Year. During Saturnalia, all business transactions were suspended, presents were exchanged, and slaves were given token freedom. The remains of Saturn’s temple are located in the Forum in Rome. Saturday is named for Saturn.
Saturn Sixth planet from the Sun, named for the Roman god of sowing and seed. The second largest nonstellar object in the solar system after
Jupiter, it is about 95 times as massive as Earth and has more than 700 times its volume. Saturn’s outer layers are gaseous, mainly hydrogen. Models of its interior suggest a rock-and-ice core surrounded by a shal¬ low layer of liquid metallic hydrogen encased by an envelope of molecu¬ lar hydrogen. Its mean density, about 70% that of water, is the lowest of any known object in the solar system. Saturn has at least 47 moons (including Titan, the largest) and an extensive ring system, with several main sections visible from Earth with a telescope. Saturn’s rings, first observed in 1610 by Galileo, are made up of countless separate particles ranging mainly from inches to many feet in size but also including dust in some regions. Water ice probably constitutes most of the ring material. Saturn’s day is about 10.6 hours; its year is 29.4 Earth years. Its rapid rotation, acting on electric currents in the core, generates a strong mag¬ netic field and large magnetosphere. Saturn’s fast spin also makes it the most flattened (oblate) of the planets; its polar diameter of 67,560 mi (108,728 km) is 10% smaller than its equatorial diameter. Its average dis¬ tance from the Sun is 887 million mi (1.43 billion km).
Saturn Any of a series of large two- and three-stage launch vehicles for spacecraft, developed by the U.S. beginning in 1958 and first flight-tested in 1961. Saturn I, the first U.S. rocket specifically developed for space- flight, was a two-stage vehicle; it and its Saturn IB derivative placed unmanned and manned versions of Apollo spacecraft into Earth orbit and launched unmanned satellites. Saturn V was the largest launch vehicle ever built by the U.S. and was used for the lunar missions of Apollo and to launch the Skylab space station.
saturniid Vso-'tor-ne-odX moth or giant silkworm moth Any of
some 800 moth species of the prin¬ cipally tropical family Saturniidae.
Adults have a stout, hairy body and broad wings, often vividly coloured and patterned. Most species have a central eyespot on each wing.
Among the saturniids are the io moth (Automeris io)’, the giant cecropia moth (Hyalophora cecropia), the largest moth native to North America, with a wingspan of 6 in.
(15 cm); several species of Anther- aea that are used as a source of com¬ mercial silk; the emperor moth {Saturnia pavonia)’, and the LUNA MOTH.
Saturninus X.sa-tor-'nI-nosV Lucius Appuleius (d. 100 bc) Roman politician. From 104 he opposed the Senate, which objected to his extrem¬ ist liberal positions. As tribune (103) he supported Rome’s proletariat by reducing the price of grain, assigning land grants to veterans, and setting up a court to try cases of treason. The consul, Marius, initially supported him but later withdrew his backing. When Saturninus and his followers seized the Capitoline Hill, Marius restored order, locking the leaders of the action in the Senate house. Their enemies tore off the roof and stoned them to death. The Senate then rescinded most of Saturninus’s legisla¬ tion, but his land grants seem to have been recognized.
satyagraha V.sot-'ya-gro-hoX Philosophy of nonviolent protest, or pas¬ sive resistance. Mohandas K. Gandhi introduced it in South Africa (1906) and, from 1917, developed it in India in the period leading up to inde¬ pendence from Britain. Satyagraha seeks to conquer through submission. It involves refusing to submit to or cooperate with anything perceived as wrong, while adhering to the principle of nonviolence in order to main¬ tain the tranquillity of mind required for insight and understanding. The principle played a significant role in the U.S. civil rights movement led by Martin Luther King. See also civil disobrdience.
satyr and silenus Vsa-t9r...si-Te-n9s\ In Greek mythology, wild wood¬ land creatures that are part man and part beast, the bestial part being rep¬ resented as the legs of a goat or horse. From the 5th century bc, the name Silenus was applied to the foster father and tutor of Dionysus. Satyrs and sileni are depicted in art and literature in the company of nymphs, whom they constantly pursue. Praxiteles' sculptures represented a new artistic type in which the satyr was young and handsome.
Sa'ud \sa-'iid\ in full Sa'ud ibn 'Abd al-'AzTz al-Faysal Al Sa'ud (b. Jan. 15, 1902, Kuwait—d. Feb. 23, 1969, Athens, Greece) King of Saudi Arabia (1953-64). Son and successor of Ibn Sa'ud, he continued his father’s program of modernization, emphasizing the construction of
Polyphemus moth (Antheraea polyphe- mus)
WILLIAM E. FERGUSON
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
1690 I Sa'ud dynasty ► Saura
medical and educational facilities, based on revenues from the oil indus¬ try. His financial mismanagement led to increasing opposition within the family to his rule. He was deposed in favour of his more financially com¬ petent brother, Faysal ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz (1905-75).
Sa'ud \sa-’iid\ dynasty or Al Sa'ud ("Sa'ud family") Rulers of Saudi Arabia. In the 18th century Muhammad ibn Sa'ud (d. 1765), chief of an Arabian village that had never fallen under control of the Ottoman Empire, rose to power together with the Wahhabi religious movement. He and his son 'Abd al-'AzIz I (r. 1764-1803) conquered much of Arabia; Sa'ud I (r. 1803-14) conquered Medina in 1804 and Mecca in 1806. The Ottoman sultan induced the viceroy of Egypt to crush the Sa'udls and Wahhabis, which was accomplished by 1818. A second Sa'ud! state was formed in 1824 by Muhammad ibn Sa'ud’s grandson Turk! (r. 1823-34), who made Riyadh his capital. When Turkl’s son Faysal (r. 1843-65) died, succession disputes led to civil war. Power did not return to Sa'ud! hands until 1902, when Ibn Sa'ud recaptured Riyadh. He established the king¬ dom of Saudi Arabia by royal decree in 1932. A number of his sons later ruled the country, including Abdullah (b. 1924), who assumed the throne in 2005.
Saudi Vsau-de, ( so-de\ Arabia officially Kingdom of Saudi Ara¬ bia Country, Middle East, southwestern Asia. It occupies four-fifths of the Arabian Peninsula and is bounded by the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.
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