The Jovian Planets, Part I

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The Jovian Planets,Part I

• Jupiter

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JUPITERThe God Of Thunder and Sky
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Physical Data

• Diameter 71,400 km (11.19 Dearth)
• Mass 1.899x1030 g (317.9 Mearth)
• Density 1.33 g/cm3
• Rotation Period 9.92 hours (radio)
• Tilt of Axis 3o
• Surface Temperature 130 K

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Physical Data

• Orbital Semi-Major Axis 5.203 AU
• Orbital Period 11.86 years
• Orbital Inclination 1.3o
• Orbital Eccentricity 0.048
• Surface Gravity 2.53 Earth gravity
• Satellites At least 16
• Magnetic Field 19,000 times greater than
  Earths

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Jupiters Interior
ATMOSPHERE

LIQUID MOLECULAR HYDROGEN

METALLIC HYDROGEN
IRON SILICATE CORE
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Jupiters Atmosphere

• 90 Hydrogen
• 10 Helium
• Small amounts of
• Methane
• Ammonia
• Ethane
• Water

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Jupiters Atmosphere

• Clouds composed of
• Ammonia
• Ammonia Hydrosulfide
• Hydrogen Sulfide
• Water Vapor
• The Surface Temp.
• is 150 K (-190oF).

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Jupiters Atmosphere
BELTS

• Usually brown or red
• Low-pressure regions of sinking gas
• Lower than zones
• ZONES
• Usually yellow-white
• High-pressure regions of rising gas
• Higher than belts
• JET STREAMS blow at the boundaries

L
H
L
H
L
H
L
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Jupiters Atmosphere
The Great Red Spot

• Huge anti-cyclone (goes counterclockwise in
  Southern Hemisphere)
• Circulation Period 6 days
• Known for 300 years
• It is 14,000 km wide and 40,000 km (three Earth
  diameters!) long

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Jupiters Atmosphere

• Hot Surface Temperature
• The temperature at Jupiters surface (cloud tops)
  is about 130 K
• Calculations say it should be 107 K
• Discrepancy because Jupiters interior radiates
  2.5x as much heat as it receives from the Sun
• Jupiter is still slowly contracting

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Jupiters Magnetic Field

• Strongest magnetic field in the solar system
• Tilted 15o from the axis of rotation
• Highly flattened due to rapid rotation
• Distorted
• The moon Io, revolves
  in the magnetosphere,
  and matter from it
  accumulates in a
  torus

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Jupiters Magnetic Field

• Matter in the Io torus stimulates the emission of
  radio bursts
• This radiation called decametric radiation
• Decametric bursts can be short (S-bursts) or long
  (L-bursts)

• L-burst
• S-Burst
• S-Burst (slowed down)

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Jupiters Rotation Periods

• Jupiter is a differential rotator
• This means not all parts of Jupiters surface
  rotate at the same rate
• Equatorial rotation rate
  (System I) 9h50m30.003s
• Polar rotation rate (System
  II) 9h55m40.632s

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Jupiters Rotation Periods

• The most widely used rotation period is System
  III
• This is the rate at which the interior rotates as
  observed through the radio emissions
• Radio rotation rate (System III) 9h55m30.003s

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Jupiters Rings

• Found by Voyager I fly-by
• Main ring extends from 1.72-1.81 Jupiter radii
  from center of planet
• Brightest part is about 6,000 km wide

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Jupiters Moons

• At least 16
• The four largest were discovered by Galileo and
  are now referred to as the Galilean Satellites
• Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto
• I Eat Green Centipedes How to remember
  their order and relative density
• (i.e. Io is closest and most dense)

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Jupiters Moons
IO
EUROPA
size of our Moon
GANYMEDE
CALLISTO
size of Mercury
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Jupiters Moons
IO
EUROPA
active sulfur crust
ice/rock crust
dense core
rocky interior
dense core
molten silicate
subsurface oceans?
GANYMEDE
CALLISTO
ice/rock crust
thick ice/rock crust
rocky or muddy core
rocky or muddy core
water/ice mantle
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Jupiters Moons

• IO
• Densest Galilean moon
• Most volcanically active body in the Solar System
• Fresh surface, no impact craters
• Inside Jupiters magnetosphere
  decametric emission

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Jupiters Moons

• Europa
• Very little surface relief
• Smoothest body in the Solar System
• Cracked ice surface features

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Jupiters Moons

• Ganymede
• Largest moon in the Solar System
• Surface is Moon-like, i.e. cratered and has
  maria
• Made of 50 water
• Little surface relief

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Jupiters Moons

• Callisto
• Perhaps the most heavily cratered body in the
  Solar System
• Lowest density of all the Galilean satellites
  (more than 50 water ice)
• Little surface relief