Chapter 5- Gas Giants Flashcards
Characteristics of all gas giants
- Huge
- Countless moons
- Rings surrounding them
- Strange chemistry
Gas giants are aka…
The Jovian planets (after Jupiter)
Order of outer planets
- Jupiter
- Saturn
- Uranus
- Neptune
Differential Rotation
Gas rotation rate isn’t consistent. Creates gas swirls (bands/mixture)
Why does Uranus roll throughout the universe
Something knocked it over
Jupiter aka
King of all gods
Brightest planet in solar system
Jupiter has ___ moons… What are the 4 biggest called?
63
4 biggest= Galilean moons
Voyager 1 and 2
Went to Jupiter
Lost voyager 1- use voyager 2
Carried lots of instruments to study magnetosphere
Had messages on gold plates
Belts and Zones on Jupiter
- results of convection
- equivalent of high and low pressure systems on earth
- warmer zones spread out more
- belts= dark Zones = light
Zonal Flow
East and west winds. Drop off at poles
Jupiters rotational speed
- fastest rotational speed in solar system
- 9 hours 56 minutes
- due to rings
Great Red Spot
- on Jupiter
- hurricane like feature in upper atmosphere
- bigger than our planet
- 300+ years old
Saturn
- 2nd largest
* best known for rings
Saturn is aka as…
Father of Jupiter
Saturn orbits sun at..
2x distance as Jupiter
Very faint–> last planet ancients could see
Saturns rings are made of…
Gasses
Cassini
- went to Jupiter first–> slingshots to Saturn
- flew through gap in rings
- released probe to the moon Titan to study atmosphere
Mimas
Death Star
Saturn’s Atmosphere is made of…
Helium and hydrogen
Helium condensed, liquified and shrunk to center
Saturn’s wind speeds of…
1500 km/hr
Weather on Saturn is…
Ripped up by the wind
Great hexagon storm
At South Pole.. Honeycomb shape
Rings on Saturn
- not solid
- made of dust and boulders
- tilted at 23 degrees
Do the gas giants have surfaces
No
Saturn has how many named moons
48
Belts and zones
Changes in color (light/dark) on the surface. Different gasses
Significance of methane on planets
Carbon
Differential Rotation
Inconsistent gas rates
Opposite of a hurricane
Anti cyclone
Probe Galileo explored..
Jupiter
Which planet rolls around
Uranus
Some think Jupiter is a failed ___
Star
Fastest wind speeds are where?
How fast?
Neptune
2,000 km/hr
Probe Cassini explored
Saturn/atmosphere of Titan
Storm on Neptune
Great dark spot
Who discovered Uranus
Hershel
Saturn is best known for its
Rings (made of debris)
If placed in water, this planet would float
Saturn
Brightest moon… Covered in snow
Enceladus
How thick are saturns rings
1-2 stories
Saturns biggest moon
Tritan
Can we see ALL gas giants w/o a telescope?
No
