Jupiters atmosphere bardsley only

Overview of Jupiter

  • Brightness: Third brightest planet in the night sky.

  • Size: Largest planet in the solar system.

  • Observation: Visible with simple telescopes or binoculars; moons and banding can be seen.

Galilean Moons

  • Jupiter has many moons, typically observed are the Galilean moons.

  • Named after Galileo, the first to discover them: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.

Atmospheric Features

  • Cloud Bands: Parallel cloud bands across Jupiter's surface, displaying various colors: yellow, blue, brown, tan, red, white.

  • Great Red Spot: A gigantic hurricane, approximately three times the size of Earth, persisting for at least 350 years.

Composition

  • Primary Elements:

    • 86% Hydrogen

    • 14% Helium

  • Other components include water vapor, ammonia, and methane.

  • Color variation believed to result from chemical processes in the clouds with speculation on various gases contributing to colors (e.g., sulfur for red/brown/yellow).

Energy Emission

  • Jupiter emits more energy than it receives.

  • Possible sources:

    • Internal heat from its formation;

    • UV energy;

    • Magnetosphere effects;

    • Energy from electrical storms.

Atmospheric Dynamics

  • Convection: Dark and light bands result from convection (upward and downward motion of gases).

    • Voyager and Cassini missions showed conflicting evidence about directionality of convection flows.

  • Jet Stream: Equatorial jet stream flows eastward, contrasting with Earth's westerly flow.

  • Polar Regions: Limited wind and convection, leading to fewer visible bands and more solid appearance.

Atmospheric Structure

  • Layers:

    • Troposphere: Contains cloud layers, starting with water ice, then ammonium hydrosulfide ice, and ammonium ice at various altitudes.

    • Haze Layer: Separates troposphere from stratosphere.

    • Verified by Galileo Probe: Confirmed presence and temperatures of cloud layers as hypothesized.

The Great Red Spot

  • A persistent hurricane with a diameter of about 25,000 kilometers.

  • Winds rotate in opposite directions on either side, creating a spinning effect.

  • Can extend deep into Jupiter's atmosphere possibly reaching the mantle.

  • Smaller storms, distinguished by color (white/brown/red) indicate strength, with red signaling a stronger storm.

  • Red spot consumes smaller storms, leading to its growth and longevity.

  • Unique characteristic: Unlike terrestrial hurricanes, it is not weakened by land since there is none on Jupiter.