The Outer, Gas Giants

Dr. Mike MacCallum Long Beach City College mmaccallum@lbcc.edu

Astronomy Picture of the Day

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/

Astronomer of the Week

Noble Jones Aerospace Engineer NASA Goddard Spaceight Center

http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a010300/a010377/Noble_Jones_640x480.m4v

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html

News of the Week

Astronomy News of the Week http://www.lbcc.edu/Astronomy/News.cfm The sky this week http://www.starhustler.com/JHSG_DNLD.html

Study Tip of the Week

See your counselor every semester Shop around--nd a counselor you can relate to Go see him/her in September or October in the fall Go see him/her in February or March in the spring

Questions from Last Week

The Inner, Rocky Planets

Lecture
The Outer, Gas Giants

Astronomical Unit (AU)

One AU is the average Sun/Earth distance 92,956,000 miles = 92.956x106 miles 149,600,000 km = 149.60x106 km Convenient comparative measure for solar system distances
Planet Mercury Venus Earth Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Distance from Sun (AU) 0.39 0.72 1.0 1.52 5.20 9.54 19.22 30.06

Roche Limit

The orbital distance where the internal strength of a satellite is overcome by gravitational forces Example: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 in 1994 Explanation for the formation of rings http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roche_limit http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/sl9/background.html

The Moons of the Solar System

http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/display.cfm?IM_ID=181

Jupiter

Roman king of the gods, the god of the sky and thunder The fth and the largest planet Known since ancient times

Jupiter

Composition and structure 75% hydrogen/25% helium by mass 90% hydrogen/10% helium by volume Possible rocky, metallic core 12 to 45 times Earths mass (brown) Metallic hydrogen (gray) Rain-like droplet of helium and neon Layer of liquid and gaseous hydrogen (green) Atmosphere of ammonia and other compounds

Jupiter

Bands and storms Great red spot, little red spot Dark bands are deeper in the atmosphere No solid surface

Jupiter

Average distance from the sun: 483,766,802 miles (778,547,200 km) Year: 4,331 days = 11.86 years Average diameter: 89,692 miles (144,346 km) 10.9 Earths Day: 9.9 hours Because Jupiter spins so fast, it bulges in the middle Mass: 1.8986x1027 kg 317.8 Earths 1/1047 Sun Density: 1.326 g/cm3 Gravity: 2.528 g Tilt: 3.1

Jupiter

Weather http://zebu.uoregon.edu/~soper/Jovian/weather.html 500 mile/hour winds:

http://www.universetoday.com/guide-to-space/jupiter/weather-on-jupiter/

Temperature Cloud tops: -230 F Core: 65,000 F Strong magnetosphere generated by metallic hydrogen interior About 20 times that of the earth

Jupiter

Jupiters moons 63 total moons 8 are regular satellites Not inclined much, prograde motion, circular orbits Include the 4 Galilean moon The other four orbit inside the Galilean moons 20 to 250 km in diameter, no differentiation The rest are most likely captured bodies with various orbits and rotational motions 1 to 170 km in diameter, no differentiation

Jupiter

The Galilean moons Discovered by Galileo in 1610 All four moons are tidally locked with Jupiter http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galilean_moons

Jupiter

Io

Yellowish, covered with sulfur and sulfur dioxide ice Covered in volcanos and mountains higher than Everest Volcanos caused by tidal exing by Jupiters gravity The most geologically active body in the solar system

Jupiter

Europa Very few craters imply a young, resurfaced crust Surface is covered with ice, which has ssures and cracks There is likely an ocean of salt water under the crust The water is kept liquid by the tidal forces of Jupiter

Jupiter

Ganymede Largest moon in the solar system, larger than Mercury Hot metallic core produces a magnetosphere May also have a liquid water section, between layers of ice Thick rocky crust on top of the water

Jupiter

Callisto Third largest moon in the solar system Does not experience the tidal heating of the other Galilean moons The most cratered body in the solar system Composed of about half rock and half ice The least dense of the Galilean moons May also have an ocean, but if so, deep under the crust

Jupiter

The rings of Jupiter First observed in 1979 by Voyager 1 Made up of four parts Very faint compared to the other ring systems Made of dust from moons and impacts Associated with certain moons of Jupiter http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rings_of_Jupiter

Jupiter

Flyby missions to Jupiter Pioneer 10 - December 1973 Pioneer 11 - December 1974 Voyager 1 - March 1979 (took the photo, above) Voyager 2 - July 1979 Cassini - December 2000 (on its way to Saturn) New Horizons - February 2007 (on its way to Pluto)

Jupiter

Galileo mission Studied Jupiter from 1995 to 2003 Studied Jupiters composition, weather, magnetic eld, and moons Released a probe into Jupiter At the end, crashed into Jupiter Did not want to risk possible contamination of Europa http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/galileo/

Jupiter

Juno mission Launch--August 5, 2011 NASA: Juno spacecraft Arrival at Jupiter--July 2016 Mission Determine how much water is in Jupiters atmosphere Measure atmosphere composition, temperature, cloud motions Map Jupiters magnetic and gravity elds Study Jupiters magnetosphere and it auroras http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/juno/main/index.html

Saturn

Roman god of the agriculture and the harvest The sixth planet and the second largest Known since ancient times Has the largest, brightest, and most complex rings

Saturn

Composition and structure 80% hydrogen/20% helium by mass 96% hydrogen/3% helium by volume Small rocky, metallic core 9-22 times the mass of Earth (brown) Mixture of water, methane, and ammonia (white) Metallic hydrogen (dark brown) Rain-like droplet of helium and neon Liquid and gaseous hydrogen (light brown) Atmosphere of ammonia, other compounds No solid surface

Saturn

Average distance from the sun: 890,704,144 miles (1,433,449,370 km) Year: 10,759 days = 29.4571 years Average diameter: 71,229 miles (114,632 km) 9.0 Earths Day: 10.57 hours Because Saturn spins so fast, it bulges in the middle Mass: 5.6846x1026 kg 95.152 Earths Density: 0.687 g/cm3 Gravity: 1.065 g Tilt: 26.73

Saturn

Weather 1,000 mile per hour winds Unexplained hexagonal structure at the north pole

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/fsd/astro/saturn.php

Temperature Cloud tops: -285 F Core: 21,000 F Magnetosphere generated by metallic hydrogen interior Slightly weaker than Earths

Saturn

Saturns moons 62 total moons, 53 are named Saturns largest moon, Titan, is responsible for 90% of the total mass in orbit around Saturn, including the rings 34 of Saturns moons are less than 10 km in diameter Another 14 of Saturns moons are less than 50 km in diameter These small moons are likely captured bodies Moons in the picture, above: Telesto (very top), Prometheus (just touching the ring), Dione (left), and Titan (right)

Saturn

Saturns interesting moons Titan The only moon with an atmosphere Surface temperature: -290 F Its atmosphere might resemble Earth's early atmosphere Appears to have liquid methane lakes on the surface

Saturn

Saturns interesting moons Epimetheus and Janus These moons are co-orbital and swap orbits every four years. Hyperion Rotates chaotically due to Titan Iapetus Bright on one side--as bright as snow Dark on the other--as dark as asphalt

Saturn

Saturns interesting moons Mimas The smallest body known with a near-spherical shape Has a huge crater about 1/4th its size--looks like the Death Star Enceladus Has tiger stripes of fresh terrain and water geysers The water from the geysers feed the E ring http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moons_of_Saturn

Saturn

The rings of Saturn Mostly made up of ice Particles are centimeters to meters in diameter Probably formed from material that never coalesced into a moon Only about 10 km thick (very thin compared to its size) http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/saturn/rings.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rings_of_Saturn

Saturn

Shepherd moons Pan (above), Daphnis, Atlas, Prometheus, Pandora, and Aegaeon The unconrmed moons S/2004 S 4, S/2004 S 6 and S/2004 S 3. Create gaps between the rings Give the rings sharp edges http://cseligman.com/text/moons/saturnmoonpix.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PIA07712_-_F_ring_animation.gif

Saturn

Flyby missions to Saturn Pioneer 11 - September 1979 Voyager 1 - November 1980 (pictured above) Voyager 2 - August 1981

Saturn

Cassini Equinox/Solstice Mission Has imaged Saturn and its moons in great detail Studying the atmosphere of Saturn Weather patterns Magnetosphere and aurorae Details of the moons http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/

Saturn

The Huygens probe was designed to land on the surface of Titan, the largest moon of Saturn and the only moon known to have an atmosphere Found methane weather system with clouds, rain, lakes, and channels May have the same conditions of the early Earth http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huygens_probe

Uranus

Greek god of the sky The seventh planet Least massive of the giant planets Second least dense (after Saturn) More ices than gas Uranus and Neptune called ice giants Discovered in 1781 By William Herschel, assisted by his sister, Caroline Just barely visible with the naked eye under a dark sky Was not seen by ancient peoples Probably too dim and slow moving

Uranus

Composition and structure 83% hydrogen, 15% helium, and 2.3% methane by mass 97% hydrogen/2% helium by volume Small rocky, metallic core about the mass of Earth (gray) Mantle rich in water, methane, ammonia, and others (light green) Called ices, but very high temperature and pressure Outer envelope of hydrogen, helium, and methane (dark green) No solid surface

Uranus

Average distance from the sun: 1,787,485,511 miles (2,876,679,082 km) Year: 30,799 days = 84.323 years Average diameter: 31,399 miles (50,532 km) 3.68 Earths Day: 17 hours, 14.5 minutes Uranus bulges in the middle, but not as much as Jupiter and Saturn Mass: 8.681x1025 kg 15.91 Earths Density: 1.27 g/cm3 Gravity: 0.886 g Tilt: 97.77 May have been hit by a large impactor

Uranus

Weather 90-360 mile per hour winds

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/fsd/astro/uranus.php

Temperature Cloud tops: -353 F Core: 8,500 F Magnetosphere generated by water/ammonia ocean in the mantle Tilted 59 from the rotational plane Gives it an unusual conguration About 50 times that of Earth

Uranus

Uranus moons 27 moons The largest, Titania, is about half the diameter of Earths moon The ve largest together have less than half the mass of Neptunes largest moon, Triton Made up of half rock and half ices Very dark in color Other, smaller moons may be captured asteroids

Uranus

The rings of Uranus 13 dark and complex rings Particles are micrometers to centimeters in size Probably formed recently, possibly from collisions of moons May have been seen by Herschel in 1789 Discovered in 1977 by chance during the occultation of a star

Uranus

The only mission to Uranus Voyager 2 - yby in January 1986 Discovered 10 new moons and the rings The major moons appear to have different surfaces and geological histories Other studies of Uranus Hubble Space Telescope Ground-based telescopes

Neptune

Roman god of the sea The eighth planet The farthest planet from the sun Fourth largest planet More ices than gas Uranus and Neptune called ice giants Galileo rst observed Neptune in 1612/13, but thought it was a star Discovered in 1846 First observed by Johann Galle Its position was predicted by Urbain Le Verrier Based on slight orbital discrepancies of Uranus

Neptune

Composition and structure 80% hydrogen, 19% helium, and 1.5% methane by mass 1) Upper atmosphere and clouds 2) Atmosphere made up of hydrogen, helium, and a trace of methane 3) Mantle made up of water, ammonia, and methane ices 4) Small rocky, metallic core about 1.2 times the mass of Earth

Neptune

Average distance from the sun: 2,798,310,157 miles (4,503,443,661 km) Year: 60,190 days = 164.79 years Average diameter: 30,512 miles (49,105 km) 3.68 Earths Day: 16 hours, 6.6 minutes Bulges in the middle, but not as much as Jupiter and Saturn Mass: 1.0243x1026 kg 17.147 Earths Density: 1.638 g/cm3 Gravity: 1.14 g Tilt: 28.32

Neptune

Weather 700 mile per hour winds

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/fsd/astro/neptune.php

Temperature Cloud tops: -360 F Core: 5,400 F Magnetosphere generated by water/ammonia ocean in the mantle Tilted 47 from its rotational axis, like Uranus

Neptune

Neptunes moons Thirteen known moons

http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/neptune/moons_and_rings.html

Triton is much bigger than all the other moons of Neptune--it has geysers and may have an internal ocean

Neptune

The rings of Neptune Three main rings Reddish and very dark Made up of ice particles coated in carbon or rock material Appear to be unstable and to have changed since Voyager 2s visit Some rings have arcs of material, perhaps maintained by moons

Neptune

The only mission to Neptune Voyager 2 - yby in January 1989 Discovered 6 moons and the rings Imaged Triton and Neptune Found Neptunes mass to be 5% less than thought Other studies of Neptune Hubble Space Telescope Ground-based telescopes--Keck Telescope in 2002/03

Discovery of Neptune

Careful observations of Uranus, led to the discovery of a small discrepancy between calculated and observed positions Based on these calculations, astronomers believed that there had to be a planet beyond Uranus On September 23, 1846, Johann Gottfried Galle and Louis d'Arrest found Neptune based on mathematical predictions by Urbain Jean Adams and Joseph Le Verrier using Keplers laws of orbital motion.

Where are the Voyagers Now?

Have reached the boundary of the solar system Headed into interstellar space Will reach the nearest star in about 40,000 years All power will fail by about 2025 Carry information about life on Earth http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/index.html

Comparisons

http://www.astro.psu.edu/users/niel/astro1/slideshows/class38/slides-38.html

http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/planet_table_british.html

Next Week: Other Bodies of the Solar System

Why Pluto is no longer a planet The asteroid belt Near earth asteroids (NEOs) Robotic searches to identify NEOs The Kuiper belt and Kuiper belt objects (KBOs) The Oort cloud Meteoroids, meteors, and meteorites Comets Long period and short period comets

Some Things to Think About

According to the IAU (the International Astronomical Union), what is the denition of a planet? Do you have an asteroid named after you? What is a dwarf planet? How many dwarf planets are there in the solar system? If all the asteroids were put together to form a planet, about how big would it be? How many asteroids have been visited by spacecraft? How many comets have been visited by spacecraft? Who keeps track of asteroids that might hit the earth?

See you next week!!