Notes
Slide Show
Outline
1
Astr 1050     Fri., Apr. 30, 2004
  •    Today: Extra Credit Articles
  • Ch. 18, Jovian Planets
  •   Recall: Nice webpage your classmate provided http://www.nationalgeographic.com/solarsystem/splash.html


2
Chapter 18: Worlds of the Outer Solar System
  • Jupiter
      • Condensation model
      • Atmospheric winds
      • Atmospheric chemistry
      • Magnetic fields
    • Other Jovian Planets (Saturn, Uranus, Neptune)
      • will only cover major differences from Jupiter
    • Satellites (i.e. Moons)
3
Jovian Planets
4
Ice+Rock Core    H+He “Atmosphere”
5
Details of the atmosphere
  • Mostly made of H, He
  • Trace amounts of C, N, O, S
  • CH4 present as gas
  • NH3, NH4SH, H2O can condense in colder upper regions Þ clouds
  • Colors from unknown trace chemicals
  • Density of gas smoothly increases with depth till point where it is indistinguishable from liquid 
     Þ no real “surface”


  • At very high temperatures and pressures hydrogen becomes a “metal” and conducts electricity
     Þ generates magnetic field



6
Jupiter as seen by Cassini
7
Winds on Jupiter
8
Winds near the Great Red Spot
9
Hurricanes exist because
Low Pressure trying to turn winds to the left
almost balance
Coriolis Force trying to turn winds to the right.
10
Jupiter has multiple cloud decks as air rises in low pressure “zones”
  • Mostly made of H, He
  • Trace amounts of C, N, O, S
  • CH4 present as gas



  • NH3, NH4SH, H2O can condense in colder upper regions Þ clouds
  • Colors from unknown trace chemicals


11
Magnetic fields and trapped particles
12
Aurora on Jupiter
13
Comparison of Jovian Planets
  • Variation in distance presumably ultimate causes other effects
    • P:      Kepler’s third law
    • T:      Falloff mostly just result of falling solar energy
        • But Neptune hotter because more internal heat
    • M:     Clue to details of solar nebula mode
        • Less material in outer solar system – or perhaps less efficient capture
    • r:      Should drop with mass because less compression
        • Works for Saturn vs. Jupiter
        • Increase for Uranus, Neptune indicates less H, He and more heavy material
14
Effects of T (and E) on Atmospheres
  • Saturn’s bands much less distinct than Jupiter’s
    • Temp. lower on Saturn Þ cloud condense lower
    • Deeper clouds Þ markings less visible


  • Differences at Uranus and Neptune
    • Even colder Þ clouds even deeper
    • So cold CH4 can condense


    • Little solar energy to drive weather
      • Uranus has strange seasons – tipped on its side
      • Neptune has strong internal heat source,
        so it still can have weather


    • Large amounts of heavy elements compared to amount of H, He on Jupiter, Saturn
      • Large amounts of CH4 gas absorb red,
         make planets appear blue
15
Implications of M, r for nebula
  • Relative amount of H, He (compared to heavy elements) drop for Saturn
    then drop dramatically at Uranus and Neptune






  • Why were these outer planets so less efficient at capturing H, He?
    • Their mass is still great enough to do this, especially given low temperatures
       in the outer solar system
  • May be a problem of timing
    • Accretion takes longer in the outer solar system because
      • The velocities of all objects there are much less
      • The distances between objects are greater
      • This is the same reason the periods of the orbits are so long


    • Uranus and Neptune may have only started to grow to critical size by the time the H, He gas was being driven out of the solar system
16
Saturn as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope
17
The Roche Limit
When can tides tear a moon apart?
  • As a planetary body get close to another object, tidal forces distort the body more and more.
    • Remember, Earth raises tides on the Moon
      just like it raises tides on the Earth


  • If the distortion gets large enough, the moon will be pulled apart
    • Happens at “Roche Limit” when moon is
      ~2.44 ´ radius of planet away
    • At that point, tidal force pulling up on surface of moon is greater than moon’s gravity pulling down


  • Only matters for objects held together by gravity
    • Astronaut in orbit will not be pulled apart
      • Is held together by much stronger chemical forces
    • Astronaut standing on the outside of the shuttle, hoping the shuttle’s gravity would hold her there, will be pulled away from the shuttle
18
Rings are individual particles all orbiting separately
  • Each particle – dust to golf ball to boulder size –
    is really a separate moon on its own orbit
  • Orbit with Keplerian velocities:  high in close, slow farther out
  • Nearby relative velocities are low – so particles just gently bump into each other – slowly grinding themselves up
  • Structure in rings largely caused by gravity of moons
19
Comparison of Rings
  • All within Roche limit
  • Details controlled by Resonances and Shepard Satellites
20
Jupiter as a miniature solar system
  • Four large moons (Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto)
  • Regular (equatorial, circular) orbits
  • Pattern of changing density and composition with distance
    • Inner two (Io, Europa) mostly rocky
    • Outer two (Ganymede, Callisto) more icy
21
Io, Europa break rules about activity
  • Io most volcanically active body in solar system
  • Europa shows new icy surface with few craters
22
Tidal heating explains activity
  • Large tides from Jupiter flex satellites
  • Friction from flexing heats interiors
  • Important for Io, Europa, some other outer solar system satellites
23
Possible H2O ocean on Europa
  • Tidal heating may keep H2O liquid under ice cover


  • Perhaps a location where life could evolve


  • “Europa Orbiter” Mission being planned to determine if ocean exists
24
Callisto not active
25
Comparison of Satellites
26
Titan
  • Largest moon of Saturn
  • Has thick atmosphere
    • Pressure ~ 1 earth atmosphere
    • Mostly N2, some CH4
    • Gas held because of low T
  • UV acting on CH4 Þ smog
    • Ethane produced – Lakes?
    • Can “see” surface only in IR
  • Cassini will drop probe in Fall 2004
  • “Code of the Lifemaker” by James P. Hogan, good sf
27
Triton
  • Largest moon of Neptune
  • In unusual retrograde orbit
    • Probably captured after it formed
    • Tides during capture may have caused heating
  • Does have thin atmosphere
  • Shows recent “activity”
    • Not volcanic – rather volatile related
    • Ices migrate with seasons
    • “Geysers” caused by heated ices