[mcorning]

https://www.universetoday.com/15311/how-far-is-saturn-from-e...

> For the sake of simplicity, Saturn is 1.2 billion km, roughly 7 AU, from the Earth when the two are at their closest approach to one another. They are 1.67 billion km, around 11 AU, from each other when they are at their most distant. Saturn and Earth are the closest to each other when they are on the same side of the Sun and at similar points in their orbits. The are the most distant when on opposite sides of the Sun.

[Denvercoder9]

> Saturn is 1.2 billion km, roughly 7 AU

That's a unit conversion error. 1.2 billion / 150 million is 8, not 7.

[jakeinspace]

I believe the 1.2B km was referencing mean orbital distance from the sun, which would be 8 AU, and therefore 7 AU from earth on closest approach.

[Denvercoder9]

No.

Saturn's perihelion (closest distance to the Sun) is 1.35B km (9.0 AU), its aphelion (furthest distance) is 1.51B km (10.1 AU), and its mean distance is 1.43B km (9.6 AU).

Thus, at closest approach Saturn is 8 AU from Earth (since Earth orbits at an almost-constant 1 AU from the Sun).

[jakeinspace]

After checking Wikipedia, you are correct.