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Jupiter
• Jupiter is both the largest and most massive planet
in the Solar System
• _
• It is the first of the gaseous worlds that we
encounter
• The planet and its moons are some of the most
interesting places in the Solar System
Properties of Jupiter
Semimajor Axis
5.20 A.U.
Orbital Eccentricity
0.048
Orbital Period
11.86 years
Rotational Period
0.41 days
Mass
1.98 x 1027 kg
318 x Earth
Radius
71,492 km
11.2 x Earth
Average Density
1.33 g/cm3
0.241 x Earth
Surface Gravity
24.8 m/s2
2.53 x Earth
Surface Temperature
124K (cloud tops)
~ 300K for Earth
Atmosphere
Hydrogen, helium
Jupiter's Rotation
• Despite its very large size, Jupiter spins very quickly,
rotating once in just under 10 hours
• The fact that Jupiter is gaseous and rotating fast causes
Jupiter to 'squish' slightly (about 4,600 km wider across
equator compared to pole to pole)
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Jupiter's Atmosphere
• Jupiter's atmosphere is
comprised almost
entirely of hydrogen and
helium
• _
• Sulfur and phosphorus
compounds create the
red, orange, and brown
coloring of the clouds
Cloud Bands on Jupiter
• The cloud bands on Jupiter
are very similar to major
weather systems on Earth
• Jupiter's fast rotation (just
under 10 hours) stretches
these systems completely
around the planet
• _
• Small scale structure changes
frequently, but the overall
banded structure is constant
Zonal Flow on Jupiter
• The lighter, higher
layers are called
zones
• _
• The wind velocity
changes dramatically
between zones and
belts
• The velocities at right
are measured relative
to the planet's rotation
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Convection in the Cloud Bands
• Warmer material rises from the interior in the lighter colored
zones
• _
Deep into the Atmosphere
• Visual, spectroscopic, and
measurements from the
Galileo space probe gives
us insight into Jupiter's
atmospheric layers
• Altitudes on the gas giants
are measured from the top
of the troposphere
• _
Atmospheric Layers
• At the top of the
troposphere, temperatures
are favorable for white
clouds of ammonia ice
• The next layer contains
ammonium hydrosulfide
clouds which produce
much of the colors we see
on Jupiter
• _
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Weather on Jupiter
• Many large storms are seen in
the cloud layers of Jupiter
• Most common are small white
ovals which are very similar to
hurricanes on Earth
• Brown ovals are areas where
there is a hole in the clouds
revealing the layers below
• _
The Great Red Spot
• First seen in the middle of the
17th century, the Great Red
Spot has been a constant
presence for centuries
• The size and shape of the
spot varies over time, but
never disappears
• _
Jupiter's Interior
• As you descend through
Jupiter's atmosphere,
temperature and
pressure continues to
rise
• Eventually, temperatures
are hot enough that the
hydrogen and helium
transition to a liquid state
• _
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Jupiter's Heat Source
• Measurements of Jupiter's temperature revealed
that it is emitting about twice the energy that it
receives from the Sun
• _
• Astronomers believe that this heat is left over from
the original formation and compression of Jupiter
as a planet
Is Jupiter a Failed Star?
• Jupiter is by far the largest and most massive planet, but is
still much smaller than the Sun
• If Jupiter had been about 100 times more massive, it would
have undergone fusion and become a small, dim star
Jupiter's Magnetosphere
•
The presence of a
spinning, liquid core
creates a magnetic field
•
Since the core is much
larger and spinning
much faster, Jupiter's
magnetosphere is
enormous in size
•
_
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Aurorae on Jupiter
• Some material is
leaked into Jupiter's
atmosphere around
the poles, just like on
Earth
• Observations have
shown that these
interactions produce
aurorae on Jupiter as
well
Size of Jupiter's Magnetosphere
• Jupiter's magnetosphere is
one of the largest structures
in the Solar System
• _
• Pioneer 10 detected
Jupiter's magnetosphere
outside of Saturn's orbit on
its way to the outer Solar
System
Jupiter's Thin Ring
•
Jupiter's ring system wasn't discovered until the Voyager missions in the
late 1970's
•
_
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Visiting Jupiter
• Most of our knowledge of
Jupiter (and the other
outer planets) comes
from the Voyager 1 & 2
spacecraft
• The image at right shows
the approach of Voyager
1 to Jupiter
• _
Visiting Jupiter
• The most recent visitor to
Jupiter was the Galileo
spacecraft
• Launched in 1989,
Galileo did not reach
Jupiter until late 1995
• Galileo observed Jupiter
and its moons for many
years
• _
Artist drawing of Galileo burning up in
Jupiter's atmosphere
Comet Shoemake-Levy 9
• In 2003, two observers on Earth discovered a comet which had a
very odd, stretched shape
• _
• Tracing back the orbit of this comet, it had recently passed very
close to Jupiter and had broken up due to this close interaction
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Attack on Jupiter
• Further analysis showed
that on its next pass, the
comet would impact
Jupiter
• Between July 16 and
July 22, 1994, almost
every telescope on
Earth and in space
focused on Jupiter
• _
Attack on Jupiter
Damage on Jupiter
• Each impact left huge
scars in Jupiter's
atmosphere and created
huge explosions
• The largest explosion
released energy equivalent
to about 600 times the
world's nuclear arsenal
• _
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