Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Eight Worlds wikipedia , lookup
Late Heavy Bombardment wikipedia , lookup
Formation and evolution of the Solar System wikipedia , lookup
Planets in astrology wikipedia , lookup
Jumping-Jupiter scenario wikipedia , lookup
Naming of moons wikipedia , lookup
Galileo (spacecraft) wikipedia , lookup
Exploration of Io wikipedia , lookup
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) 1 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 2 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 • _ 3 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 • _ 4 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 • _ 5 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 • _ 6 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 7 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 • _ 8