Jupiter and Saturn Lecture Notes Flashcards

Overview of Jupiter and Saturn

• Images compare sizes of Jupiter and Saturn, showing distinct features.

Atmosphere Structures

• Jupiter:
  • Belts: Dark bands of low-pressure gas encircling the planet, caused by hydrocarbons darkening under UV light.
  • Zones: Bright bands of high-pressure gas, likely due to ammonia ice clouds reflecting sunlight.
  • Belt-zone circulation: Caused by convection and Coriolis effect from rapid rotation.
• Saturn: Similar to Jupiter but with muted features and fewer bands.
• Uranus and Neptune: Evidence of belts and zones, less pronounced than Saturn.

Wind Speeds

• Jupiter wind storms reach up to 620 ext{ km/h} (390 ext{ mph}).
• Saturn upper atmosphere winds can reach 1,800 ext{ km/h} (1,100 ext{ mph}).
• Earth hurricane winds top out at 400 ext{ km/h} (250 ext{ mph}).
• Cause of higher Saturn winds uncertain; likely linked to convection dynamics.

Storms and Their Characteristics

• Great Red Spot (Jupiter): A giant atmospheric storm observed for over 300 years.
  • Current dimensions: approximately 25,000 ext{ km} by 12,000 ext{ km}.
• Little Red Spot (Red Spot Jr): Formed from merging storms; intensified and turned red in 2006.
• Saturn's Massive Storm (2010): A vortex larger than the Great Red Spot, emitted ethylene gas and caused significant temperature changes.

Hexagonal Feature on Saturn

• Hexagonal jet stream: An unstable weather feature at Saturn's north pole, still under investigation.
• Video available showing motion of this hexagonal pattern.

Atmospheric Composition

• Jupiter and Saturn: Mainly composed of hydrogen (H) and helium (He).
• Layers of ice:
  • Top layer: Ammonia (NH3)
  • Middle layer: Ammonium hydrosulfide (NH4SH)
  • Bottom layer: Water (H2O)
  • Colors arise from gases created through light-driven reactions.

Temperature and Density

• Saturn’s atmosphere is colder due to increased distance from the Sun, about 25% less thermal energy.
• Pressure and temperature increase towards the planet's core:
  • Smooth transition from gaseous to liquid hydrogen.
  • Formation of metallic hydrogen occurs under high pressure.

Interior Structures

• Both planets have rocky cores surrounded by layers of metallic and liquid hydrogen.
• Jupiter specifications:
  • Contains about 30 ext{ M}_{ ext{Earth}} of heavy elements.
  • Core properties uncertain: could be solid or liquid-like.
• Saturn specifications:
  • Has metallic hydrogen but less than Jupiter due to lower mass and pressure.
  • Generates internal thermal energy through helium differentiation, which influences atmospheric composition.

Magnetism and Magnetosphere

• Requirements for a magnetosphere:
  • Conductive fluid, convection, and rotation.
• Both planets support significant magnetic fields influencing radiation levels:
  • Jupiter's magnetic field is 20,000 times stronger than Earth's.
  • Radiation in Jupiter's magnetosphere is lethal without protection; can damage spacecraft equipment.

Comet Impact: Shoemaker-Levy 9

• Discovered in 1993; orbited Jupiter.
• Fragments impacted Jupiter between July 16-22, 1994.
• Significant event for real-time information dissemination on the internet.
• Jupiter’s gravity plays a protective role for Earth by capturing potentially harmful objects.

Multimedia Resources

• Watch:
  • Hexagonal weather pattern on Saturn
  • Auroras on Jupiter
  • Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 impact information