Jupiter Characteristics

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.

Pluto's Atmosphere

• Pluto's atmosphere is made up of soft ice that forms when it reaches the closest point to the sun.

Atmospheric Convection Currents

Earth

• Atmospheric convection currents on Earth are driven by solar energy.
• The process works by hot, less dense air rising, while cooler, denser air sinks.

Jupiter

• Jupiter gives off twice as much heat as it receives from the sun.
• The interior heat of Jupiter produces huge convection currents in the atmosphere.

This quiz covers the characteristics of Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, including its size, mass, orbit, rotation, and chemical composition.