Jupiter Characteristics

Study Notes

Jupiter

Largest planet in the solar system, visible to the naked eye
Mass: 2.5 times greater than the mass of all other planets and moons combined
Orbit: 4332 Earth days to orbit the sun once
Rotation: More rapid than any other planet, completing one rotation in less than 10 Earth hours
Chemical composition of the atmosphere: Hydrogen, Helium, ammonia, and methane
Interior heat produces convection currents in the atmosphere
Satellite system: 64 to 85 moons, including volcanically active Io
Ring system: Made of fine, dark particles similar to smoke, widely spread
Great Red Spot: A large, high-pressure storm that can fit 3 Earths inside, with winds of 430-680 km/h

The Outer Planets (Jovian Planets)

Historical fact: All planets in our solar system are named after Roman Gods or Characters, except for Earth

Saturn

Size and volume: 764 times larger than Earth in terms of volume
Orbit: 11000 Earth days to complete one orbit around the sun
Rotation: Rotates on its axis more than twice for every one Earth's rotation
Most prominent feature: System of rings
Rings: More than 20, composed of ice and rock, ranging from dust to mountains in size
Atmosphere: Very active, with winds roaring up to 1500 km/Hr
Winds and cyclones: Large cyclonic storms, similar to the Great Red Spot
Satellites: 53 to 146 moons, including Titan, Phoebe, Mimas, and Hyperion

Uranus

Mass: 14 times more massive than Earth
Orbit: More than 30,000 Earth days to orbit the sun
Rotation: Rotates from east to west, taking 17 Earth hours for one rotation
Atmosphere chemical composition: Mostly H2 and He, with small amounts of methane, water, and ammonia
Satellites: 27 moons, showing a variety of landforms, deep canyons, and craters
Ring system: With at least 9 distinctive ring belts

Neptune

Mass: Same as Uranus
Orbit: 60,000 Earth days to orbit the sun
Rotation: 16 Earth hours on its axis
Atmosphere and clouds: Has cirrus-like clouds made of frozen methane
Satellites: 13 to 28 moons
Great Dark Spot: A large, rotating storm that vanished a few years after discovery
Rings: Thin and dark, faint

Terrestrial Planets (Inner Planets)

Mercury
- Very little atmosphere
- Faint magnetic field, but strong enough to deflect solar winds
- Closest to the sun, but not the hottest
- Extreme temperatures: 427°C to -173°C
- No moons
- High velocity: 88 Earth days to orbit the sun
- One solar day: 176 Earth days
Venus
- Atmosphere: 90 times more than Earth's
- Core is solid, no convection currents to generate a magnetic field
- Atmosphere is covered in thick clouds
- Very little water vapor and nitrogen
- Second planet, second brightest natural object in the sky at night
- One year: 255 Earth days
- Solar day: 117 Earth days
- Sideral day: 244 Earth days
- Sun rises from west and sets from the east
- 97% of atmosphere is CO2, which traps heat
- No moon
- Volcanoes, mountains, and plains
- Same size as Earth's medium size
- Hottest planet (462°C) due to the greenhouse effect
- Fe + rocky surface
- Known as the Veiled Planet
Earth
- Viable atmospheric pressure
- Magnetic field
- Thin atmosphere
- Lots of water and nitrogen
- 3rd from the sun
- One year: 365 days to complete orbit around the sun
- Spin on its axis: 30 days = one moon
- Sidereal day: 23 hours, 56 minutes, 4 seconds
- Sun rises from east and sets from the west
- CO2 is less than 0.1%
- GHE is due to GHG such as CO2, methane
- One moon
- Known as the Blue Planet
Mars
- The Red Planet
- Outermost terrestrial planet, just before the asteroid belt
- Polar ice caps + frozen CO2
- Satellites: 2 natural moons
- 687 Earth days to orbit the sun
- 25 Earth hours to complete one rotation on its axis
- No magnetic field
- Largest inactive volcano Olympus Mons, which is 2.5 times higher than Mount Everest
- Valles Marineris > 5000 km long and up to 8 km deep
- Very thin atmosphere, made mostly of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and argon
- Gravity: 3.71 m/s²
- Storms and hurricanes can persist for weeks (speed of 270 km/hr)
- VENUS is the hottest while Mars is a cold desert (-127°C)
- Life: evidence on the surface suggests that Mars was once much warmer and wetter

Note: The density of Mars is different from Mercury and Venus, despite being in the same category, due to variations in their composition and geological history.### Pluto Characteristics

Pluto is approximately 2/3 the size of Earth's moons.
It has a total of 5 satellites, with Charon being the largest.

Pluto's Orbit

Pluto orbits the sun at a slow speed of 17,000km/hr, which is 6 times slower than Earth.
It takes Pluto 248 Earth years to complete one orbit around the sun.