Jupiter

Question 1

What is the gravity on the equator of Jupiter in Ge

Answer 1

2.36

Question 1

Which Danish astronomer made the first of its kind calculation, based on what he observed on Jupiter

name, dates, details etc,

Answer 1

Ole Romer in 1676 made the first estimate of the speed of light,

He had noticed that eclipses and transits of Jupiters moons dont always occur at periodic times, because of the variation in the time in takes light to reach earth

Question 2

What is the orbital period of Jupiter

Answer 2

11.86 years

Question 2

What is the order of the Galilean moons, and their orbital resonances

Answer 2

Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto

1:2:4 for the first three

Question 3

When did Shoemaker Levy 9 hit Jupiter

What did the spacecraft Galileo notably do in 1995

Between what years did Galileo orbit Jupiter (what happened to it in the end)

Answer 3

1994

In 1995 Galileo launced a probe into Jupiter’s atmosphere

1995-2003

In the end Galileo was flown into Jupiter to avoid contaminating the Galilean moons

Question 4

When did Juno reach Jupiter

Answer 4

July 2016 (orbital insertion)

it entered a polar orbit and study jupiter’s magnetic fields and atmosphere

Question 5

How many groups are Jupiter’s satelites broken down into

What are they called

Answer 5

4 Inner moons (Amalthea group - the largest and first to be discovered of the inner moons) (4)

Galilean moons (4)

and the outer moons (71 or more) - these may be prograde or retrograde with high inclinations of eccentricities - most are very tiny.

Question 6

Why is Callisto the colour it is

Answer 6

It is darkened from solar radiation

with white marks from fresh impact crators exposing the icy rock

Callisto is often described as the most heavily cratered body in the solar system

Question 6

What was the first spacecraft to flyby Jupiter and when

When were the first detail pictures of the moons made

Answer 6

Pioneer 10 in 1973

Moon pics came in 1979 when V1 and 2 passed by.

Question 7

What is the diameter in km of:

Io:

Europa:

Answer 7

Io: 3640 km approx

Europa: 3122km

Question 8

What is the diameter of Jupiter

Answer 8

142,984km

Question 10

What is the diameter in km of:

Ganymede:

Callisto:

Answer 10

Ganymede: 5262km

Callisto: 4821km

Question 12

What is the mass of Jupiter in Me

Answer 12

318

Question 13

What is the mean cloud top temperature

Answer 13

-108C

Question 14

What is the axial tilt of Jupiter

Answer 14

3.1

Question 14

How many moons does Jupiter have

Answer 14

92 confirmed

Question 15

What is the mean distance from the Sun in AU

Answer 15

5.2

Question 17

What is the rotation period of Jupiter

Answer 17

9.93 hours

Question 20

To what does Io owe its colourful surface

Answer 20

Unique properties of sulfur, which can take several different forms with different physical properties

Question 20

Which British astromer was the first to measure the diameter of Jupiter

Answer 20

James Bradley in 1733

Question 21

Who was first to suggest Jupiter was a gas giant and not made of rock

Answer 21

American George Hough in 1903

Question 22

Aside from its size what is Ganymede’s claim to fame

Answer 22

It is the only moon with a significant magnetic field

-features in this field suggest an ocean between layers of ice

Question 23

What confirmed the existance of active volcanism on Io

Answer 23

The discovery of a 300km volcanic plume from the volcano Pele by Voyager 1 in 1979

Question 24

What are the white and dark bands respectively called on Jupiter

Where does the whiteness come from

Which are colder

Which ones represent upwellings, and which descending air

Answer 24

Zones and Belts

The whiteness of zones is believed to come as a result of ammonia ice

Zones are colder and correspond to upwellings

Belts correspond to descending air

At least that is the simplest explanation for the way they act

Question 25

How deep do the jets streams go, that drive the belts and zones what marks the boundary layer

Answer 25

3000km At this depth the magnetic fields become significant because the pressures are high enough to create Jupiter's liquid metal hydrogen mantle somehow the magnetic fields are responsible for setting the depth of the jet streams

Question 26

Does Jupiter have a solid core? why is this issue important

Answer 26

Evidence from Juno suggests no - but it could have a dissolving core of rock and ice mixed with hydrogen It will help determine which theory of Jupiter's formation is correct, which could have knock on consequences for the rest of the solar system it would strengthen the condensed cloud theory - Jupiter formed from the large cloud of gas and dust that surrounded the Sun soon after its birth. As this cloud cooled and condensed, gas and dust particles lumped together so that some regions were denser than others. One of these dense splotches was able to gravitationally pull more and more gas and dust together, swelling into a full-fledged planet.

Question 27

What is the largest Jupiter Trojan asteroid? How big is it? What type of asteroid is it Anything particularly interesting about its structure

Answer 27

Hektor It's in the Greek camp of Trojans (and therefore a 'spy') - this is because it was named before the naming of Greek and Trojan camps Its around 403 x201km - so big. (on average 250km) Its a D-type asteroid [dark and reddish] (common for some of the larger Jupiter Trojans) - and may have an outer solar system origin It is likely to be a contact binary (Ultima Thule) and it has a small moon. Cool eh?

Question 28

What was the first Jupiter Trojan to be discovered What is the biggest in each camp? What asteroid types are they? Binary or not?

Answer 28

Achilles [Greek cam] (1906) Patrocles (in Trojan camp) (this is a non-contact binary) Hektor (in Greek camp) (a contact binary) They are all D-type

Question 29

What is the NASA Mission to visit five Jupiter Trojans When will it arrive? Which is the really big asteroid it will visit

Answer 29

Lucy (eta 2027) It will go to four moons in the Trojan cloud, before visiting Patrocles in the Greek cloud

Question 30

What will the juice mission do When will it first arrive - why will it take so long Whose mission is it

Answer 30

The ice moons explorer will do flybys around Ganymede, Europa and Callisto, before settling j to orbit around Ganymede It launched in 2023 and will orbit Jupiter from 2031. It Willy ake this long because there wasn’t enough energy for a direct flight so it will have to do a number of gravity assist manoeuvres , including around Venus ESA mission

Question 31

What is the complementary Jupiter mission to Juice

Answer 31

Europa clipper, This launches in late 2024 and arrives in 2030 Mission is to see if Europa could harbour life

Question 32

Where does the Lucy mission get its name from

Answer 32

The fossil Australopithecus because the trojans are thought to be fossils of the early solar system