Detailed Information about Jupiter - Essay Example

? All about Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet of the Solar System. “It is so massive that over a thousand Earths could fit in its volume.” (“Introduction to Jupiter”) Other unique characteristics of Jupiter are its many moons: four enormous moons, its many smaller moons, its rings, its lack of a solid surface and the Great Red Spot found on its surface. These features give Jupiter the distinction of having its own “miniature solar system.” (“Jovian Giant”)For many years astronomers and scientists have been intrigued with the planet of Jupiter and exploration of the planet seems to be ongoing. There are many theories about the formation of Jupiter. The most accepted theory is that ice and other solid material combined to form its core. The core increased in size as it attracted other material from other sections of the Solar System resulting in an increased gravitational pull. “Eventually the core’s gravitational pull became strong enough to capture hydrogen and helium, which were abundant in the solar nebula.” (“Jupiter”, p. 200) That is why Jupiter consists primarily of hydrogen and helium. Jupiter rotates very quickly for a planet of its size, with a period of ten hours; it revolves around the sun once every eleven years. Like the other planets Jupiter orbits around the sun in an elliptical orbit. (“Jupiter”) It is approximately 480 million miles from the sun. (Simon) Jupiter is often seen high in the sky, and some its surface features such as its satellites can be seen with a telescope. “From our planet Jupiter looks like a bright star in the night sky.” (Simon, Introduction) It is one of the most luminous objects in the sky next to the Sun, the moon and Venus. Jupiter is considered one of the “gas planets” because its atmosphere is composed primarily of gas. It is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in the Solar System combined. Jupiter is one of the Jovian (outer) planets; the other Jovian planets are Saturn Uranus and Neptune. There is no solid surface on Jupiter. Jupiter is composed primarily of hydrogen and helium. It is similar in composition to the Sun. In 2008, scientists were able to define the surface of Jupiter. “The surface of the planet is defined as the point where the pressure of the atmosphere is 1 bar, which is equal to the atmospheric pressure at Earth’s surface.” (Coffey, “Surface” n.pag) The pressure and temperature increase deep in its atmosphere, resulting in hydrogen being compressed into a liquid. Partially beneath its surface, the hydrogen hardens and becomes capable of conducting electricity. In this metallic layer, electrical currents resulting from the rapid rotation of Jupiter produces its immense magnetic field. In the middle of the planet its enormous pressure may support a solid core of rock that is approximately the size of Earth. Jupiter's upper atmosphere consists largely of hydrogen and a lesser percentage of helium. The interior of the planet is approximately 71% hydrogen, 24% helium and contains minimal amounts of other elements. The atmosphere also includes hints of methane, water vapor, ammonia, and silicon-based compounds. There are also traces of carbon, ethane, hydrogen sulfide, neon, oxygen, phosphate, and sulfur. The outermost layer of the atmosphere contains crystals of frozen ammonia. (“Jupiter” Wikipedia) The temperature on the surface is about -235 degrees F (-150 C). The temperature on Jupiter increases to about 70 degrees Fahrenheit deeper within its atmosphere. The winds continue to blow at approximately 450mph. (Holladay). The atmosphere in Jupiter increases in thickness until it reaches the ocean. The magnetic field in Jupiter is tremendous. Jupiter has the strongest magnetic field of all the planets. Millions of charged particles are confined to Jupiter’s magnetosphere: “the area in which magnetic field lines encircle the planet from pole to pole.” (“Jovian Giant”, para.3) Its rings and moons are entrenched in a radiation belt consisting of electrons and ions trapped in the magnetic field. The magnetosphere increases in size, extending two million miles toward the sun and then narrows into a tailed shaped gust of wind extending more than 600 million miles behind Jupiter. In 1979, NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft discovered the three rings of Jupiter. “Jupiter’s rings were a surprise….” (“Jovian Giant”para.6) Jupiter ‘s rings are made up of four main components: a thick inner cloud of particles known as the "halo ring"; a luminous narrow ring made up of small dark particles known as the “main ring”; and two thick and faint outer "gossamer rings", named after the debris that came from the moons that formed them. The rings of Jupiter are rarely seen on Earth. They are only visible when Jupiter orbits the Sun. When the rings can be seen they mostly appear to be reddish in color. The halo ring appears to be blue or neutral in color. The mass of the ring system is not known. However the system appears to have existed since the formation of the planet. (“Jovian Giant”) The surface of Jupiter has never been seen by scientists because it is covered by extremely thick clouds. Only the tops of the clouds are visible. There are comprised of various colors such as reds, oranges, tans and yellows and are made of ammonia. The “stripes” that can be seen on the planet are dark belts and light zones generated by Jupiter’s top atmosphere. (“Jovian Giant”para.4) Throughout Jupiter’s atmosphere there are many storms. The most prominent part of Jupiter is known as the Great Red Spot which is a “is a persistent anticyclonic storm, 22° south of Jupiter's equator, which has lasted for at least 182 years and possibly longer than 347 years” (“Atmosphere of Jupiter”para.3) This storm can be seen from telescopes of earth. Its massive hurricane winds blow across an area larger than Earth. Jupiter is a large planet with a greater amount of gravity than the Earth. “It would take 318 times Earth’s total mass to equal Jupiter’s.” (Coffey, “Mass of Jupiter”, 2008) If an astronaut was able to inhabit the surface of Jupiter he/she would weigh more than three times their weight on Earth. Jupiter's mass is 2.5 times that of all the other planets in our Solar System combined. The planet could decrease in size if it gained any more mass. Since there is no more hydrogen or helium for Jupiter to collect, it could increase its mass by accumulating rocky bodies like asteroids. The diameter of Jupiter would decrease while its density would increase as a result of Jupiter’s extreme gravity pulling these materials together. (Coffey, “Mass of Jupiter” 2008). The increase in density would result in an increase in gravity. For small changes in mass, the radius would not change significantly and the interior would become so much more compacted with increased gravity that the planet's volume would decrease even though the amount of matter would increase. Scientists have speculated that it is highly unlikely that Jupiter would ever decrease in size because there is not much material in the Solar System and Jupiter would have to accumulate three times its current mass to diminish. Officially Jupiter has sixty-six moons, the most moons of any planet in the Solar System. The Galilean moons are the largest of all moons. They were the first objects found to orbit a body other than the Earth or Sun. The four largest moons of Jupiter are Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. Gallileo first discovered these moons in 1610, using a 20-power telescope. (“Jovian Giant”) Io is the most volcanically active moon in the solar system. Its surface is covered by sulfur. As Io orbits Jupiter, the planet’s massive gravity produces heat for volcanic activity. Europa's surface is composed primarily of water ice, and possibly slushy ice beneath its surface. Ganymede is the only moon known to have an internally generated magnetic field. It is the largest moon in the solar system. The surface of Callisto is comprised of craters. However there is little evidence of surface activity on that moon. (Jupiter: Moons) The moons with orbits that lie inside those of Galilean satellites (moons) are the inner moons of Jupiter. They are named Metis, Adrastea, Amalthea and Thebe. The inner moons are smaller than the Galilean moons. The outer moons are located in an orbit beyond the Galilean moons. They are named Leda, Himalia, Lysithea, Elara, Ananke, Carme, Pasiphae, and Sinope. (“Jupiter”200a) Ancient astronomers were very much aware of the planet Jupiter. After its discovery the Ancient Romans named Jupiter after the Roman king of the Gods. “According to Roman legends Jupiter was the ruler of the universe.”(Landau 7) In ancient times astronomers would track the motion of Jupiter by observing the night sky. Galileo was the first astronomer to view Jupiter through a telescope. He discovered the Galilean moons while observing the planet. (“Jovian Giant”) In the 1660’s scientist Giovanni Cassini used a telescope to discover bands of color on Jupiter and noticed that the planet seemed flattened at the poles. He also approximated the duration of the planet’s rotation. Cassini or another Robert Hook may have been the first person to observe the Great Red Spot of Jupiter in the 1660’s although this has never been confirmed with certainty. In 1892, E.E. Bernard discovered what would become the Jupiter moon of Amalthea using the 36-inch (910 mm) refractor at Lick Observatory in California. This discovery quickly made him famous because it was the last moon of Jupiter to be discovered by simply observing the night sky. (“Jupiter”, Wikipedia) Radio signals coming from Jupiter were first detected by Kenneth Franklin and Bernard Burke in 1955. The duration of these signals coincided with the rotation of Jupiter and this information was used to perfect the rotation rate. Currently Jupiter broadcasts radio waves strong enough to hear on Earth. They come in two forms: strong bursts that take place when the moon Io passes through Jupiter’s magnetic field and constant radiation from Jupiter’s surface and high energy particles in its radiation belts.(“Jupiter, Largest Planet of our Solar System”, n.d.) Since 1973 several spacecrafts have visited Jupiter in order to explore it. The Pioneer 10 Space Probe was sent there several times. “On December 3, 1973 Pioneer 10 became the first spacecraft to visit Jupiter when it passed within about 81,000 miles of the planet’s cloud tops.” (“Jupiter” 200b) There have also been several spacecrafts which flew within the vicinity of the planet in an effort to observe more details about the planet’s features. The Pioneer spacecraft was able to observe Jupiter’s atmosphere and some of its moons closely. The trajectories of these spacecraft were used to perfect the mass estimates of the Jovian system. In 1979 the Voyager missions discovered the rings of Jupiter and also confirmed that the Great Red Spot was anticyclonic. As a result of the Voyager Probes Jupiter's moons could be seen in detail, and more moons were discovered. (“Jupiter”, 200b) The Galileo orbiter has been the only spacecraft to orbit Jupiter. It went into orbit on December 7, 1995. The probe also accumulated the first undeviating measurements of the atmosphere. (“Jovian Giant”, n.d.) The Galileo Probe was sent to study Jupiter’s atmosphere on December 7, 1995. It “directly measured the atmosphere of the giant planet for the first time.” (“Galileo Space Probe/Orbiter”)The initial findings of the probe allowed scientists to better understand the characteristics of Jupiter. After two years the mission was extended. During that time it has probed the moons of Europa, Callisto, Ganymede, Io and Amalthea. In September 2003, the mission was over. Currently NASA has Juno a space probe launched in August 2011 to thoroughly study Jupiter from a polar orbit. This is expected to return in 2016. (“Exploration of Jupiter”) Scientists have determined that there is no possibility for the existence of life on Jupiter. Jupiter is primarily a gaseous planet and the only solid ground can be found at the core. The surface of the planet is not suited for Earth- like life to develop because it is not solid. “Free floater organism can live at the very tops of the planet due to the atmospheric pressure that is more progressive than on Earth.”(“Possibility of Life on Jupiter”, para.6) In some areas of Jupiter where hydrogen liquid metal is present the gravitational pressure increases the temperature to over 10,000 degrees making Jupiter unsuitable for life. However scientists have determined its moon Europa may support certain forms of microscopic life. (“Possibility of Life on Jupiter”) Future space probes have been planned to explore this possibility. It has been suggested that Jupiter served to partially protect the inner solar system from being bombarded by comets. Of all the planets in the Solar System Jupiter is one that gets hit the most by comets. Some of the comets “come close enough to Jupiter to be affected by Jupiter’s gravity and whipped out of the Solar System like rocks in a slingshot.” (“Comets”para.3)However after further investigation it was determined that this may not always be the case. Recent research has indicated that Jupiter does not necessarily reduce the number of comets that pass through the inner Solar System because its enormous gravitational pull interferes with their orbits in roughly the same numbers that it ejects them. (“Jupiter”, Wikipedia) This topic is still being debated among astronomers. In conclusion Jupiter has many unique characteristics. Its immense size, the number of moons it has, its rings and the Great Red Spot are just some of the characteristics that make Jupiter an intriguing planet. For centuries people have taken great interest in the planet. More explorations of it by scientists and astronomers are likely to continue. Works Cited f Carr, K. (2012). Comets. Retrieved April 25, 2012, from Astronomy for Kids Web Site: http://www.historyforkids.org/scienceforkids/physics/space/comet.htm Coffey, Jerry. "Mass of Jupiter" Universe Today. June 18, 2008. Word Press Administration. April 25, 2012 . Coffey, Jerry. “Surface of Jupiter” Universe Today. December 22, 2008. Word Press Administration. April 25, 2012 < http://www.universetoday.com/22719/surface-of-jupiter/ Holladay, April. "The wind-swept, misty surface of Jupiter; the many names of grapefruit” USA Today. June 25, 2007. April 24, 2012 . Landau, Elaine. Jupiter (True Books: Space). Canada: Franklin Watts Inc., 1999. Simon, Seymour. Destination Jupiter. Singapore: 1998. "Jupiter"". World Book. 2011. "Jupiter Introduction" The Planet Jupiter. Oracle Education Foundation Think Quest. April 25, 2012 . "Galileo Space Probe/Orbiter" Think Quest. Oracle Education Foundation Think Quest. April 26, 2012 . “Exploration of Jupiter.” Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation Inc. ""Jovian Giant"" Jupiter. National Geographic Inc. April 25, 2012 . "Jupiter, Largest Planet of the Solar System" Facts and Information About the Planet Jupiter. Tech Media Network. April 24, 2012 . "Possibility of Life on Jupiter" Facts about Jupiter. April 24, 2012 . "Jupiter: Moons" Solar System Exploration. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. April 25, 2012 . “Atmosphere of Jupiter.” Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation Inc. “Jupiter.” Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation Inc. r Kids. 2012. http://www.historyforkids.org/scienceforkids/physics/space/comet.htm Read More