Weather on Jupiter
Belts and Zones differential Rotation
Images from Cassini (Fast) Differential Rotation!! 300-500 km/hr Causes a lot of WEATHER! Weather on Jupiter
Differential Rotation: Speed different @ different latitudes
Belts and Zones Caused by Convection + Differential rotation
ESO-VLT Weather on Earth Differential Rotation: Speed different @ different latitudes
Belts and Zones Caused by Convection + Differential rotation Weather on Earth Differential Rotation: Speed different @ different latitudes
Belts and Zones Caused by Convection + Differential rotation Weather on Earth Differential Rotation: Speed different @ different latitudes
Belts and Zones Caused by Convection + Differential rotation Weather on Earth Differential Rotation: Speed different @ different latitudes
Belts and Zones Caused by Convection + Differential rotation Uranus & Neptune - Discovery • Only 6 Planets known until 18th C.
• William Herschel discovers a “comet”, March 13, 1781
Uranus was discovered by accident!
• Messier: Not Fuzzy enough . . . Welcome URANUS! Uranus & Neptune - Discovery • Galileo found Neptune by accident but didn’t know it!
Neptune was discovered on purpose! Uranus & Neptune - Discovery
Existence of Neptune was predicted Neptune was before discovered detection - on purpose! why??
• Neptune was discovered on September 23, 1846 Uranus & Neptune - Ice Giants Orbital Period - 85 years Rotation Period - 17 hours Neptune Orbital Distance - 19 AU Mass - 14.5 Earth Masses Density - 1.4 g/cc
Uranus
Orbital Period - 165 years Rotation Period - 16 hours Orbital Distance - 30 AU Mass - 17 Earth Masses Density - 1.6 g/cc Images from Voyager Structure of Gas Giants Uranus & Neptune - Ice Giants
Atmospheres of H/He & Methane
Mantles of liquid/icy water, ammonia, & methane
small rocky/icy Cores
(No Liquid Metallic Hydrogen...) Why not? Uranus - 14.5 Earth Masses Jovian Planets: Masses & Sizes
Planet Mass Mass Radius Radius (kg) (Earth (km) (Earth Radii) masses)
Jupiter 1.898 x 1027 317.7 71,492 11.2
Saturn 5.69 x 1026 95.2 60,268 9.4
Uranus 8.682 x 1025 14.5 25,559 4.0
Neptune 1.024 x 1026 17.1 24,764 3.9 Uranus/Neptune - Magnetic Fields
How?
Uranus - 14.5 Earth Masses Uranus/Neptune - Magnetic Fields
How?
Probably generated in Icy Mantle
Fields are off-center & Unstable!
Uranus - 14.5 Earth Masses Uranus & Neptune in Infrared
-no internal heat source (Uranus)
-weaker internal heat source (Neptune)
Which Planet should have more weather?
IR Images from Keck/Palomar Uranus - 14.5 Earth Masses Uranus & Neptune - Weather Which Planet should have more weather?
U: Relatively Featureless N: Circulation & Weather!
Uranus - 14.5 Earth Masses Uranus & Neptune - Weather Which Planet should have more weather?
Liquid Methane Clouds
U: Relatively Featureless N: Circulation & Weather!
Uranus - 14.5 Earth Masses Neptune - The Great Dark Spot winds up to 1500 km/hr!
Voyager - 1989
Spot is size of Earth!
Changed over 36 hours! Uranus - 14.5 Earth Masses Neptune - The Great Dark Spot GONE!!
Uranus - 14.5 Earth Masses Uranus - Obliquity
Obliquity = 98 degrees!
Seasons are 20 years long!
(Neptune is more reasonable at 29.6 deg.) Uranus - 14.5 Earth Masses Obliquity of Planets
Obliquity = 98 degrees!
Seasons are 20 years long!
Uranus - 14.5 Earth Masses Uranus - Rings
Uranus - 14.5 Earth Masses Uranus - Rings
Uranus - 14.5 Earth Masses Neptune - Rings
Uranus - 14.5 Earth Masses Moons of Ice Giants
(HST-Uranus & Ariel) Uranus - 14.5 Earth Masses Moons of Ice Giants Uranus - 27 known Images fr. Voyager 2
Neptune - 13 (including Triton)
Uranus - 14.5 Earth Masses Uranus & Neptune Universe Video
Uranus - 14.5 Earth Masses