Chapter 10 Flashcards
Give an overview of Jupiter
It is the largest planet, more than 10x earths diameter and 300x its mass. It’s atmosphere is dense and has cloud bands. The atmosphere is mainly H,He,CH4,NH3, and H2O
What are its clouds made of
Water,ice, and ammonia
Why are its clouds bright
Made up of compounds of sulfur and phosphorus
How often does Jupiter rotate
Once every 10 hours
What is jupiters interior made of
Very light elements, it’s interior turns from gas to liquid hydrogen the deeper you go until you get of liquid metallic hydrogen. It has an iron rocky core
What is jupiters core temperature
30,000 K
How fast are jupiters cloud jet streams
300km/h
Why does Jupiter have its giant red spot
Due to adjacent wind belts having different speeds it creates vortexes of various colors
How strong is jupiters magnetic field
It is 20,000 times stronger than earths
Does Jupiter have an aurora
A very strong one proven by us receiving intense radio emissions form it
Does Jupiter have a ring
Yes, it is made of tiny particles of rock dust and is held in orbit by its gravity
How many moons does Jupiter have
79 moons
What are Jupiter’s innermost moons called
Galilean moons
What are the 4 main moons of Jupiter
Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto
What are the main attributes of Io
Very hot interior, has volcanic plumes and lava flows
What are the main attributes of Europa
Very few craters, surface looks like a cracked egg (similar to glaciers), and it may have a layer of water below the crust
What are the attributes of Ganymede and Callisto
They look like our moon with grayish brown colors and are covered in craters. Their surface is mostly ice, and Callisto may have subsurface liquid water
Main characteristics of Saturn
It is the second largest planet (10x earths diameter and 95x earths mass), an average density less than water, composed of mostly hydrogen, its temperature is low enough to freeze ammonia into cloud particles and create a veil for itself.
What is the interior of Saturn like
Goes from hydrogen gas, to liquid metallic hydrogen, to water, to a rock and iron core. It radiates more energy than it receives.
Characteristics of the rings of Saturn
Wide but thin, they are not solid but made of a swarm of individual bodies such as water, ice, and carbon compounds.
How many moons does Saturn have
82 moons, many have craters and are surrounded by white markings of shattered ice
What is Saturns largest moon + its characteristics
It is titan. larger than mercury, it has a mainly nitrogen atmosphere, solid surface with liquid oceans of methane.
Uranus’s characteristics
It is 4x larger than the earth and 15x it’s mass. It is rather featureless.
Characteristics of Uranus’s atmosphere
It is rich in hydrogen and methane, methane and ice are responsible for its blue color.
Characteristics of Uranus’s interior
It contains water,methane, and ammonia. It may have a rocky/iron core
Why is Uranus’s axis unique
It has a tilted axis and spins on its side, this may be due to collisions while it was forming.
Does Uranus have rings
Yes, it has a set of narrow rings. They are very dark and therefore may be rich in carbon Particles
Characteristics of Uranus’s moons
It has 5 main moons and other smaller ones. They are probably ice and rock. It’s most unique one is called Miranda which looks like it was torn apart and reassembled
Characteristics of Neptune
Similar in size to Uranus, deep blue color with a great dark spot.
Describe Neptune’s interior
Mostly water, surrounded by a thin atmosphere rich in hydrogen, and has a rock/iron core.
What is neptunes atmosphere made from
Mainly methane
Does Neptune have rings
Yes, they are probably debris from comets or satellites that broke apart
What is neptunes main moon
Triton, it is a captured planetesimal from the Kuiper belt. It has some craters with dark streaks. It is far enough from the planet to retain an atmosphere
