Ch. 13 - Uranus and Neptune

Main Composition

Water, ammonia, methane over a rocky core

Are Gas Giants or Ice Giants Larger

Gas giants → ice giants are much smaller, but still 4 times bigger than earth

How Large are the Rocky Cores Compared to Earth

10x the size of earth

Mass, Radius, Density, Rotational Period of Uranus vs Earth

• 14.5x earth

• 4x earth

• 1300kg/m³ → 23% of Earth

• 17.2 hours → retrograde

Mass, Radius, Density, Rotational Period of Neptune vs Earth

• 17.1x earth

• 3.9x earth

• 1600kg/m³ → 30% of earth

• 16.1 hours

Which Planet Rotates on its Side

Uranus → 98^o tilt

Which of the Jovian Planets is the Most Dense

Neptune → higher rocky proportion and compressed icy material compared to Uranus

How Long are the Seasons on Uranus

21 years long

Why is Neptune a Deeper Blue

Thinner haze layer and a more active, warmer atmosphere

It Rains Diamonds on Which Planet

Neptune

T/F The Ice Giants have dipolar magnetic fields

False; they exhibit less order in their magnetic field

Why Might Their Magnetic Fields Differ from that of Gas Giants and Earth

we get our magnetic field from our spinning core, they get it from their slushy mantle (their core is rocky)

5 Major Moons of Uranus

1. Miranda

2. Ariel

3. Umbriel

4. Oberon

5. Titania

there are 28 total, these five are the closest to Uranus

Composition of Uranus’ Major Moons

Equal parts icy and rocky → similar to Saturn’s mid-sized moons

Characteristic of Miranda

Uranus Moon

• closest to Uranus

• usual grooves and cracks

• small

• canyons

• coronae

2 Moons of Neptune that are Visible from Earth

Triton and Nereid → 16 total official moons

Only Moon in Solar System with a Retrograde Orbit? What does this Suggest?

Triton → orbits in opposite direction of planet’s rotation

• it may have been originally been from the Kuiper belt instead of forming with the planet

Characteristics of Triton

Neptune Moon

• Few craters = active surface

• nitrogen geysers

• ice volcanoes ejecting methane ice

How many Rings does Uranus Have? Brightest?

13 → Epsilon which is its outermost

Which two Moons Shepherd Epsilon Ring

Cordelia inside, Ophelia outside