Jovian Planet Systems

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Chapter 8

• Jovian Planet Systems

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The Jovian Worlds A Different Kind of Planet

• The Overall composition of the Jovian
  planets-particulary Jupiter and Saturn-is more
  similar to that of the Sun than to any of the
  terrestrial worlds.

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Comparison of Bulk Properties of the Jovian
Planets
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Jupiters Interior Structure
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Understanding Jovian planet sizes and densities
Stacking pillows increases the height, but
eventually compression occurs.
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Jovian Planet Interiors
10 Mearth
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Jovian Planet Atmospheres

• Jupiters atmosphere is almost entirely hydrogen
  and helium.
• It also contains trace amounts of
• Methane (CH4)
• Ammonia (NH3)
• Water(H2O)

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• The bands of rising air are called zones.
• They appear white in color because ammonia clouds
  form as the air rises to high, cool altitudes.
• The adjacent belts of falling air are depleted in
  cloud forming ingredients and do not contain any
  white ammonia clouds.
• Instead, we see the red/tan ammonium
  hydrosulfide clouds that form at lower altitudes.

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Jupiters Belts and Zones
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Light Blue abundant methane gas
White ammonia or ammonium hydrosulfide
crystals Red/Tan ammonium hydrosulfide gas, and
other sulfur and phosphorous compounds
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Jovian Planet Magnetospheres
20,000 times as strong as Earths magnetic field.
Io Torus charged particle belt formed by
escaping particles from Io which interact with
Jupiters magnetic field.
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The Jovian Moons

• The Galilean Satellites
• Io
• Europa
• Ganymede
• Callisto

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Io
Callisto
Europa
Ganymede
Titan
Triton
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• Io Is so geologically active that it is the
  most volcanically active body in the solar
  system.
• These are sulfur volcanoes.
• Ios surface is continually being reformed.

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Why Is Io So Geologically Active?
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Europa
Collisto
Io
Ganymede
Photograph of Jupiter from Earth showing several
of its moons
A Hubble Space Telescope image of Jupiter in true
color.
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The Icy Crust of Europa
North Pole -Earth
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Tidal Heating may give Europa a Subterranean Ocean
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Ganymede- the largest moon in the Solar System
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Callisto An ancient surface
Heavy Cratering-Ancient Surface
Dark powder overlaying low areas
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Moons of Saturn
Titan has a hazy, cloudy atmosphere and possibly
oceans of ethane
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Saturn has Six Medium Sized Moons.
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Moons of Uranus
Miranda violent tectonic history
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Moons of Neptune
Triton
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Jovian Ring Systems

• All of the Jovian planets have ring systems,
  including Jupiter.
• Saturns rings are the most prominent and
  spectacular. They can be easily seen by an earth
  Observer.

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Saturns Rings
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Shepherd Moons
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Cassini Division
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All Jovian planets have Rings
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The End