Jupiter-Like Planets The Jovian Planets Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune
Appearances
Clouds Storms
Insides
Earth-like: 3.9 – 5.5 g/cm3 p. 172
Jupiter & Saturn Liquid molecular hydrogen/helium Liquid metallic hydrogen Rocky core p. 175
p. 175
Uranus & Neptune Liquid molecular hydrogen/helium ‘Slush’ Rocky core p. 175
* Most Jovians are net radiators . . . Internal heat/solar heat Jupiter 2 Saturn 3 Uranus 1 Neptune 1.5
* Jovians rotate differentially . . . ‘slow’ ‘fast’ Fluid interior
Magnetic Fields
* Fluid, conducting interiors + rapid rotation huge magnetic fields Strange geometry
Jovian Magnetospheres
Jupiter & Saturn Aurorae
Atmospheres
* No solid surfaces! * Composition: mainly hydrogen & helium + some methane & ammonia. * Heated mainly from bottom. * Rapid rotation drives high-speed east-west winds, forming clouds into zones & belts. * Sustain giant cyclonic storms: - Great Red Spot - Great Dark Spot
Jupiter’s atmosphere Belt Zone Temp Rising air . . . . . . Falling air . . . Convection!
p. 175
Great Red Spot . Cyclonic Storm 16,000 mi
Great Red Spot (Jupiter)
Red Spot Movie
Great Dark Spot (Neptune)
Galileo atmospheric probe 370 mi - 230 oF +300 oF
Blue-green of Uranus & Neptune is due to methane
Moons
Jupiter’s Family
Io Recent volcanic deposits Vents
Volcanic Plumes Sulfur deposits
Volcano from above Lava lake?
Europa Icy Surface
Water beneath the ice? Cracks in the Ice
Ice ‘Rafts’
p. 175
Ganymede Craters in icy crust
Strange grooved terrain – suggestive of tectonic activity . . .
Callisto The most heavily cratered body in the Solar System!
Valhalla Impact Basin
Saturn’s Moons Titan
Voyager, 1981 Titan Haze (‘smog’) Hubble Space Telescope, 1998 90% nitrogen Ethane lakes?
Cassini mission to Saturn (Arrival: 2004) Huygens probe descending toward Titan
Rhea Enceladus Dione Densities ~ 1.2 – 1.4 g/cm3 Ice + rock interiors & icy surfaces.
Some of Saturn’s minor satellites.
Moons of Uranus Miranda
Miranda Groovy terrain!
Neptune: 8 moons Neptune Triton
Triton ‘Cantaloupe’ terrain Nitrogen ice surface Temp = - 390 oF South polar cap
Streaks probably result from nitrogen geysers. Dark streaks Old Faithful
Clouds in a thin nitrogen atmosphere.
Rings
RINGS * Consist of particles, each following an orbit about a planet, like a small moon.
Jupiter: ‘smoke’ particles.
Saturn: chunks of ice & icy rock
‘Braids’ in the F Ring.
Shepherd satellites (‘moons’) and F Ring.
Ring ‘Spokes.’
Uranus: Dark & chunky ring particles.
Neptune: Dark & chunky ring particles.