Download Chapter8- Jovian Planet Systems

Chapter 8
Jovian Planet Systems
The Jovian
Worlds:
A Different
• The
Overall
composition
Kind
of
Planet
of the Jovian planetsparticulary Jupiter and
Saturn-is more similar to
that of the Sun than to any
of the terrestrial worlds.
Comparison of Bulk Properties of
the Jovian Planets
Jupiter’s
Interior
Structure
Understanding Jovian planet sizes and densities
Stacking pillows increases the
height, but eventually
compression occurs.
Jovian Planet Interiors
~ 10 Mearth
Jovian Planet Atmospheres
• Jupiter’s atmosphere is almost
entirely hydrogen and helium.
• It also contains trace amounts of:
• Methane (CH4)
• Ammonia (NH3)
• Water(H2O)
• The bands of rising air are called zones.
• They appear white in color because ammonia clouds
form as the air rises to high, cool altitudes.
• The adjacent belts of falling air are depleted in cloud
forming ingredients and do not contain any white
ammonia clouds.
• Instead, we see the red/tan ammonium – hydrosulfide
clouds that form at lower altitudes.
Jupiter’s Belts and Zones
Light Blue = abundant methane
gas
White = ammonia or ammonium
hydrosulfide crystals
Red/Tan = ammonium
hydrosulfide gas, and other
sulfur and phosphorous
compounds
Jovian Planet Magnetospheres
20,000 times as strong as Earth’s magnetic field.
Io Torus – charged
particle belt formed by
escaping particles from
Io which interact with
Jupiter’s magnetic field.
The Jovian Moons
• The Galilean Satellites:
• Io
• Europa
• Ganymede
• Callisto
Io
Europa
Ganymede
Callisto
Titan
Triton
•Io – Is so geologically active that it
is the most volcanically active body
in the solar system.
•These are sulfur volcanoes.
•Io’s surface is continually being
reformed.
Why Is Io So
Geologically Active?
Europa
Collisto
Io
Ganymede
Photograph of Jupiter from
Earth showing several of its
moons
A Hubble Space Telescope
image of Jupiter in true color.
The Icy
Crust
of
Europa
North Pole -Earth
Tidal Heating may give Europa a
Subterranean Ocean
Ganymede- the
largest moon in
the Solar
System
Callisto – An ancient surface
Heavy Cratering-Ancient
Surface
Dark powder overlaying low areas
Moons of Saturn
Titan has a hazy, cloudy
atmosphere and possibly
oceans of ethane
Saturn has Six Medium Sized Moons.
Moons of Uranus
Miranda – violent
tectonic history
Moons of Neptune
Triton
Jovian Ring Systems
• All of the Jovian planets have
ring systems, including Jupiter.
• Saturn’s rings are the most
prominent and spectacular. They
can be easily seen by an earth
Observer.
Saturn’s
Rings
Shepherd Moons
Cassini Division
All Jovian planets have
Rings
The End