Jovian Planets

and Moons

Intro to Solar System Jovian Planets and Moons 1 Jovian Planets

primitive, look much as they did at time of formation gas giants, completely different than the terrestrial planets

Intro to Solar System Jovian Planets and Moons 2 Jupiter • largest most massive of all • size 140,00 km 11 Earths across • mass - 300 times

Voyager Project, JPL, NASA that of Earth • density 1300 kg/m3

Intro to Solar System Jovian Planets and Moons 3 Jupiter - Composition

hydrogen, helium - liquid and gaseous gases that have been there since formation

temperature: 130 K escape speed: 60 km/sec even hydrogen can’t get away!

Intro to Solar System Jovian Planets and Moons 4 Jupiter - “Surface” there is NO surface !! convective flow in the atmosphere light regions: zones - tops of high pressure regions dark regions: belts - descending areas of low pressure convective flow tells us the interior is HOT!

Intro to Solar System Jovian Planets and Moons 5 Jupiter - “Surface”

rotation: 10 hours differential rotation => a fluid

cloud speed: 43,00 km/hr

Intro to Solar System Jovian Planets and Moons 6 Great Red Spot

NASA permanent storm: observed in 1630 cooler than surrounding zone, is raised a few km above it rotates counterclockwise, 7 day period

Intro to Solar System Jovian Planets and Moons 7 Jupiter - Atmosphere

82% Hydrogen 18% Helium

ammonia ice crystals, liquid ammonia, water ice

Galileo - Probe Entry Point 1000 km thick

Intro to Solar System Jovian Planets and Moons 8 Jupiter - Internal Structure • low density and atmospheric composition materials like the Sun • radiates away more energy than it receives hot interior (heat from formation)

Intro to Solar System Jovian Planets and Moons 9 Jupiter - Interior Structure

differentiated outer layer: molecular hydrogen liquid hydrogen density pressure liquid metallic hydrogen

Intro to Solar System Jovian Planets and Moons 10 Jupiter - Interior Structure core: heavy elements (rocky?) temperature 10 x Earth

magnetic field: HUGE - 10 x Earth’s

expected due to rapid rotation, metallic liquid core

Intro to Solar System Jovian Planets and Moons 11 Jupiter - Moons

Io - 3500 kg/m3

Europa - 3000 kg/m3

Ganymede - 1900 kg/m3

Callisto - 1800 kg/m3

Intro to Solar System Jovian Planets and Moons 12 Io

•thin sulfur dioxide atmosphere •sodium emissions •volcanic eruptions

•lava lakes Galileo Project, JPL, NASA

surface of Io - youngest in the Solar System (no impact craters)

Intro to Solar System Jovian Planets and Moons 13 Europa •water ice •filled in fractures •smoothest surface •devoid of craters •not primitive

Galileo Project, JPL, NASA

beneath the crust ???

Intro to Solar System Jovian Planets and Moons 14 Europa

nearly the same size as our Moon

Galileo Project, JPL, NASA

Intro to Solar System Jovian Planets and Moons 15 Europa - Conamara Region

Galileo Project, JPL, NASA

icy crust is thin cracks interior was once hot

Intro to Solar System Jovian Planets and Moons 16 Galileo Project, JPL, NASA Impact Crater - Pwyll

Intro to Solar System Jovian Planets and Moons 17 Lightning on Jupiter

Galileo Project, JPL, NASA

Intro to Solar System Jovian Planets and Moons 18 Ganymede

The Galileo Project, NASA

Intro to Solar System Jovian Planets and Moons 19 Jupiter’s Inner Moons

The Galileo Project, NASA

Intro to Solar System Jovian Planets and Moons 20 InfraRed Jupiter Note: the ring

R. Beebe (NMSU), NASA

Intro to Solar System Jovian Planets and Moons 21