College Astronomy: Chapter Eleven- Jupiter
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What is Jupiter's mass like compared to other planets?
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twice as much as all other planets put together
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Compared to Earth's radius, how is Jupiter's?
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11.2 times bigger than Earth's
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How is Jupiter's density?
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much less dense than that of terrestrial planets, so it cannot be rocky or metallic
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How Is Jupiter's rotation rate?
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problematic // Jupiter has no solid surface; different parts of atmosphere rotate at different rates (called Different Rotation)
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From its magnetic field, what is Jupiter's rotation rate?
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9 hours and 55 minutes
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What are some major visible features on Jupiter?
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Bands of clouds and the Great Red Spot
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Describe Jupiter's atmosphere.
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- bright zones and dark belts - cooler zones that are higher than belts - stable flow, called zonal flow, underlines zones and bands
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What is Jupiter's wind speed in respect to?
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its internal rotation rate
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What is Jupiter's atmosphere composed of?
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mostly molecular hydrogen and helium; small amounts of methane, ammonia, and water vapor ** cannot account for color, probably due to complex interactions of these chemicals
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Does Jupiter have a solid surface?
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no
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Where is the top of the troposphere at?
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0 km
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What cannot be seen by optical telescopes?
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lowest cloud layer
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What was the name of the probe that collected measurements high wind speeds even at great depth- probably due to heating from planet, not from Sun?
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Galileo probe
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How long has the Great Red Spot existed on Jupiter for?
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at least 300 years, if not longer
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Describe the \"weather\" on Jupiter.
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lightening-like flashes have been seen; also short-lived rotating storms
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What is the \"Brown Oval?\"
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a large 'gap' in clouds that is relatively calm
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What has happened in the past 20 years of careful observation of Jupiter? What does it mean?
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3 white storms were observed to merge into a single storm, which then turned red // this may provide some clues to the dynamics behind Jupiter's clouds movements
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What happens to most storms that have been observed?
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they are consumed by the Great Red Spot
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When did Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 strike Jupiter, in fragments, providing valuable information about cometary impacts?
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July 1994
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Why does Jupiter radiate more energy than it receives from the Sun?
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Its core is still cooling off from heating during gravitational compression
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Could Jupiter have been a star?
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No; it is far too cool and too small for that. It would need to be about 80 times more massive to be even a very faint star
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How is Jupiter's central portion?
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rocky core
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What would happen if Jupiter's energy output was as large as it was in the past?
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could have been 100 times brighter than the Moon as seen from Earth
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How did Jupiter play an invaluable role in Earth's early development?
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swept solar system clear of debris before too much reached Earth // life on earth may not have been possible if not for this
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Without Jupiter's help, what would have ceased human evolution altogether, forcing us to start over?
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meteor impacts
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How large is Jupiter's Magnetosphere?
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30 million km across
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What surrounds Jupiter?
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belts of changed particles, much like the Van Allen belts, but vastly larger
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Compared to Earth's. how strong is the field strength of Jupiter's magnetosphere?
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20,000 times that of Earth's
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Just how large is Jupiter's magnetosphere really?
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it's so large that it can extend beyond the orbit of Saturn
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How many moons have been found orbiting Jupiter?
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67
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Who were the four largest moons first observed by?
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Galileo
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What are the names of the four largest moons?
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Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto
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Do the Galilean moons share similarities with those of terrestrial planets?
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Yes
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Do the orbits of the Galilean moons generally have low or high eccentricities?
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low
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Which moon is the largest? Which planet is it larger than?
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Ganymede and it is larger than Mercury
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What is the relationship between the density of the Galilean moons and the distance from Jupiter?
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As the distance from the moons to Jupiter increases, the density of the moons decreases
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Which Galilean moon is the densest?
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Io
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Describe the surface features of the most volcanically-active object in our sky, Io.
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- many active volcanoes, some very large - can change surface features in a few weeks - no craters; they fill in too fast, meaning Io has the youngest surface of any solar system object
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Why is the Galilean moon Io orange in color?
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sulfur compounds
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What is the cause of volcanism?
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gravity
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What is the result of Io being very close to Jupiter and experiencing gravitational forces from Europa?
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tidal forces are huge and provides energy for the volcanoes
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What ejects from volcanic eruptions?
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charged particles
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What is a plasma torus?
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a slightly glowing belt of atoms along the orbit of lo
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List a few traits on Europa.
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- no craters - surface is water ice, possibly with liquid water below - tidal forces stress and crack ice; water flows, keeping surface relatively flat
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List a few traits on Ganymede.
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- largest moon in the solar system; larger than Pluto and Mercury - history similar to Earth's and moon, but water ice instead of lunar rock
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List a few details about Callisto.
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- similar to Ganymede - no evidence of plate activity
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Does Jupiter have a ring?
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Yes; it is small and thing
