Jupiter

Jupiter's Mass

Twice as much as all other planets put together

Jupiter's diameter

11.2 times earth's

Jupiter's density

Much less than density of terrestrials: so it cannot be rocky or metallic

Jupiter's rotation rate

Jupiter has no solid surface: differential rotation - different parts of the atmosphere rotate at different rates. (Rotation period: 9hr & 55 min)

Easily observable characteristics:

Great Red Spot & turbulent wind belts

Jupiter's zones:

Cooler and higher than belts

Composition of Jupiter’s Atomosphere:

Mostly molecular hydrogen and helium; small amounts of methane, ammonia, and water vapor

Jupiter has high wind speeds recorded even below the surface due to…

Internal heat

How long has the Great Red Spot been observed?

300 years

How is the Brown Oval on Jupiter’s atmosphere described?

It is a large gap in the clouds that is relatively calm.

Jupiters’s Internal Structure

Jupiter radiates more energy than it receives from the Sun

Jupiter’s energy output was larger in the past:

It could have been 100 times brighter than the moon as seen from earth.

What has Jupiter helped our planet and the human race do?

It gave earth time for evolution without debris impact.

Jupiter’s Magnetosphere

The field strength is 20,000 times that of Earth’s & it can extend beyond the orbit of Saturn.

How many moons are believed to be orbiting Jupiter?

67

The four largest moons of Jupiter are called:

The Galilean Moons

What is true about Jupiter’s Moons?

Their orbits have low eccentricities and Ganymede is larger than Mercury.

What is true about Io?

It is the most volcanically active object in the solar system & has the youngest surface.

what causes Io’s orange color?

Sulfur compounds

Plasma torus:

A slightly glowing belt of atoms along the orbit of Io.

What causes Jupiter’s moons to have a cracked surface?

Tidal forces & stress crack the ice