General Astronomy: Jupiter & Saturn Lecture

These flashcards cover key vocabulary terms related to the characteristics, structures, and phenomena associated with Jupiter and Saturn, as discussed in the lecture.

Gas Giants

Planets like Jupiter and Saturn that are primarily composed of hydrogen and helium.

Astronomical Unit (AU)

A unit of measurement equal to the average distance from the Earth to the Sun, approximately 93 million miles.

Hydrogen (H2)

The primary component of the atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn, making up about 89.8% of Jupiter's atmosphere.

Liquid Metallic Hydrogen

A phase of hydrogen that occurs at high pressures, contributing to the magnetic fields of gas giants.

Shepherd Moons

Moons that help maintain the structure of planetary rings through their gravitational influence.

Tidal Heating

Heat generated by the gravitational interactions between a planet and its moons, significant for moons like Io and Europa.

Cryo-volcanoes

Volcanoes that erupt with icy materials, found on Saturn’s moon Titan.

Internal Heating

Heat produced within celestial bodies, often as a result of gravitational forces and tidal interactions.

Roche Limit

The minimum distance to which a celestial body can approach another body without being torn apart by gravitational forces.

Orbital Resonance

A condition where two orbiting bodies exert regular, periodic gravitational influence on each other due to their orbital periods being related by a ratio of small integers.