Jupiter: The Giant Gas Planet and Its Moons

1. Chapter 5Jupiter and the rest of the planets

2. Jupiter

3. Obj. 1 Jupiter Facts • 5th planet from the sun • It is an all gas planet • It is a failed star • It has taken many hits from comets and asteroids

5. Obj. 1 cont. • It takes about 12 years to rotate the sun • It has a diameter of 88,729 which is 11 times larger than Earth. • Even though it is larger…it completely rotates in 10 hours compared to Earth’s 24 hours.

6. Obj. 1 cont. • It is more than twice the size of all other planets combined. • The planet contains 71% of all the matter in the Solar System excluding the sun • It has differential rotation- this means that its rotational rate is not constant from one area to another…this would indicate that Jupiter is not a solid planet!

7. Obj. 1 cont. • Jupiter is made up of hydrogen, helium, nitrogen, water, and trace amounts of other gases.

8. Obj. 1 cont. • The Great Red Spot on Jupiter is a storm on the planet that has lasted for hundreds of year.It is more than twice the size of Earth. • The Great Red Spot could be referred to as hurricane-like.

9. Great Red Spot

10. Closer look:The Great Red Spot

11. Object 2: Describe the moons of Jupiter • Jupiter now has 39 moons. Each year scientist find new moons. • The four largest moons are: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto

12. Jupiter with 4 of its larger moons

13. Io is the most geologically active body in the solar system Volcanic lava flows constantly on IO • Some of the hottest temperatures in solar system occur here • Close in size to Earth’s moon

14. Surface of io shows activity…looks like a giant pizza. The different colors show hotter and cooler volcanic as in the picture below:

15. Io and Jupiter

16. Another good picture of Io. Io: One of Jupiter’s Moons

17. Europa Europa is a frozen moon covered with crisscrossing ice tracts It is believed to be 1 mile of ice with 50 miles of liquid water under it. Europa is smaller than Earth’s moon

18. Europa

21. Ganymede • Largest moon in the solar system It is also larger than Mercury and Pluto • Surface is scarred with impact craters

22. Ganymede

23. Callisto • Callisto is similar to Ganymede but a little smaller • Dark moon • Callisto is about the size of Mercury

24. Callisto

25. Obj. 3 Describe exploration of Jupiter • Galileo atmosphere probe was the first probe to enter the atmosphere of Jupiter in 1995. Survived for 1 hour and sent back a lot of information

26. Galileo Probe

27. Obj. #4: Describe Saturn 6th planet from the sun Equator diameter: 75,000 miles Believed to have a rocky core Known for its rings made of ice and rock Has 18 known moons The moon Titan is the size of Mercury

28. Saturn

29. Rings of Saturn photographed by Cassini mission

30. Obj. #5: Describe Uranus 7th planet from the Sun Named after the father of Saturn Discovered in 1781. It was the first planet discovered in 2000 years. Equator diameter: 32,000 miles It is tilted on its sides..north pole faces sun Has 17 moons

31. Voyager 2 took this photo of Uranus

32. Obj. #6: Describe Neptune Equator diameter is 31000 miles Found in 1846 It has an orbital period of 183 years It has not made one orbit around the sun since it was found

33. Neptune

34. Obj. 7: Describe Pluto Discovered in 1930 Equator diameter: 1400 miles Its moon was discovered in 1978 Its surface is frozen methane Its orbit is different than any other planet It takes 248 years to go around the sun

35. Pluto?

36. Oops!! …wrong pluto

37. Pluto