Ch. 11 - Jupiter

List the Jovian Planets

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune

Mass, Radius, Density, Rotational Period Compared to Earth

• 1.9 × 10²⁷ kg (317x earth) → very large

• ~70,000km (11x) → large

• 1300, kg/m³ (25% of Earth’s density) → less

• 9.9 hours → fast

Jupiter Orbital Period

11.86 years

Which Jovian Planets are the Gas Giants

Jupiter and Saturn

Which Jovian Planets are the Ice Giants

Uranus and Neptune

5 Characteristics of Jovian Planets

• Made up of Hydrogen and Helium

• Massive layers of Gas surrounding small, dense cores

• extensive systems of moons and rings

• powerful magnetic fields

• Dynamic weather systems

Are Uranus and Neptune Visible to the Naked Eye

No, because of their distance from Earth

• Jupiter and Saturn can be seen with the naked eye

What are the Galilean Moons? Name them

Jupiter’s 4 largest moons → Galilieo first discovered them in 1609 when he first thought they were distant stars before concluding hey had to be moons orbiting Jupiter

• Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto

What does Jupiter look like

Dark and light stripes with a distinct red spot

How many Earths Can Fit into Jupiter

1000

T/F Jupiter is the oldest planet in our solar system

True

How was Jupiter Formed

From the leftover gas and dust from the formation of the sun

T/F Jupiter is the second brightest object in the night sky

False; it is the third after moon and Venus

Jupiter is Named after What

The Roman god of the sky

Jupiter Orbit in AU

5.2 → takes 43 minutes for sunlight to get to jupiter

Where is it Located Relative to the Asteroid Belt? Kuiper Belt?

First planet outside of asteroid, well inside Kuiper

Does Jupiter have Seasons

Barely → it spins almost upright (aka no substantial tilt)

How is Jupiter’s Rotational Period Determined?

Since Jupiter doesn’t rotate as a solid body (its equator spinning faster than its poles), astronomers determine its rotation by its internal magnetic field

Zones vs Belts

Zones

• Cooler

• places of upwelling (higher pressure)

• lighter colour due to ammonia ice

Belts

• warmer

• descending gas (low pressure regions)

• Darker in colour (unknown)

Zonal Flow Patterns

AKA wind flow under Jupiter’s bands

• equator: atmosphere spins faster than the planet

• Poles: wind speed diminishes the further from the equator, with alternating easterly and westerly winds

Jupiter’s Atmosphere

• 90% Hydrogen, 10% Helium

  • trace amounts of methane, hydrogen sulfide, and water vapour

• Lowest: Troposphere (transitions into its liquid interior) made from layers of ammonia, ammonium hydrosulfide, and water

• Middle: haze layer produced from sunlight interacting with methane

• Upper: Stratosphere characterized by temp inversion and polar winds

What is the Current Space Mission to Jupiter Called

Juno

Jupiter’s Structure (In→Out)

1. core → “fuzzy”, mixed, diluted and non-uniform region that slowly blends with the interior (not a solid ball)

2. interior → liquid metallic hydrogen due to pressure and cause for metallic field

3. outer interior → turbulent layer of liquid molecular hydrogen and helium

4. atmosphere

Jupiters Magnetic field is the largest of the planets and even extends beyond _____________

the orbit of Saturn

• it is also the largest structure in our solar system

Most Particles Streaming through Jupiter’s magnetosphere Comes from what?

From volcanic gases spewing from Jupiter moon, Io

Jupiter’s Auroras Glow in what Wavelengths

UV, Infrared, X-ray → are permanently visible located at the poles

How many Official Moons of Jupiter

97! → They are referred to as the “Jovian System”

What is the Largest Moon Orbiting Jupiter? In the whole Solar System?

Ganymede is both the larges around Jupiter and in the solar system → exceeds Mercury in diameter

Galilean Moons in Order in Terms of Size

smallest Europa→Io→Callisto→Ganymede Largest

Galilean Moons in Order in Terms of Distance from Jupiter

Closest Io→Europa→Ganymede→Callisto Farthest

Galilean Moons in Order in Terms of Density

Same as Distance order

Most Io→Europa→Ganymede→Callisto

Which Moon is the Most Cratered in Our Solar System

Callisto

Which Moon is the Most Volcanically Active in Our Solar System

Io → 400 active volcanoes

What Causes Io’s Volcanic Activity

Tidal heating from Jupiter results in magma oceans and sulfur plumes → AKA External force (jupiter’s gravity) is causing the volcanism on Io

T/F Io Does Not Have any Impact Craters

True; its volcanic activity fills the craters in with lava, therefore it has the youngest surface in the solar system

Characteristics of Europa’s Surface

• Young, icy and fractured surface → suggests active geology influenced by tidal heating

• has saltwater twice as much as earth does

• no craters → fractures caused by tidal pulling fractures surface, letting water come up and fill the cracks with ice

Interiors of the Galilean Moons

• Io and Europa: most dense, rocky mantles, metallic cores

• Ganymede: thick icy crust, small metallic core

• Callisto: Uniform ice/rock mixture throughout Callisto (no core)

Jupiter’s Ring is Made from What

Meteor dust from impacts on nearby moons

T/F Jupiter is Oblate

True; due to its rapid spinning, Jupiter is wider at its equator than at its poles

First Moon Discovered to have a Magnetosphere

Ganymede, though it is not strong