Chapter 7: The Outer Planets & Their Moons (Textbook Notes)
what is the most striking feature on jupiter's surface?
the great red spot
jupiter emits about ____ as much energy it receives from the sun. how?
twice; extra energy comes from radioactive elements in its core
the existence of an ___ ____ is implied by the discovery of a second magnetic force around Ganymede that continually varies
underground ocean
what are ice giants composed of? gas giants?
An ice giant is a giant planet composed mainly of elements heavier than hydrogen and helium, such as oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur. There are two known ice giants in the Solar System, Uranus and Neptune. ~ A gas giant is a giant planet composed mainly of hydrogen and helium. Gas giants are sometimes known as failed stars because they contain the same basic elements as a star. Jupiter and Saturn are the gas giants of the Solar System.
Saturn's 6th-largest moon, ____, has water jets, an atmosphere, and a magnetic field
Enceladus
who was the first person to discover Jupiter's largest moons? what are the moons also called?
Galileo; the galilean moons or galilean satellites
what are Jupiter's four largest moons?
Io, Europa, Callitso, Ganymede
Saturn's atmosphere, surface, and interior are similar to ____
Jupiter
The Outer Planets: A Comparison >> the four giant planets (which are?) are all much ____ and more ____ than Earth
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune; larger & more massive
Callisto is almost the exact same size of ___
Mercury
what is the second biggest planet in the solar system?
Saturn
describe the atmosphere of Saturn
Saturn has a thick, active atmosphere composed predominantly of hydrogen (higher than that of Jupiter's atmosphere)
what is Saturn's largest moon?
Titan
what are the ice giants? gas giants?
Uranus & Neptune; Gas Giant
which Galilean moon is the outermost?
Callisto
Uranus sports what kind of atmosphere?
a hazy atmosphere with clouds
Callisto bears the scars from....
a huge asteroid impact
what is the great red spot?
a storm of swirling gases much like a hurricane or typhoon.
what kind of atmosphere does Titan, Saturn's moon, have?
a thick atmosphere, clouds, and lakes filled with liquids
as with four galilean moons, what else does jupiter have?
at least 63 other moons, a set of tenuous ringlets, and two doughnut-shaped tori of electrically charged gas particles
The Outer Planets: A Comparison >> what are the four giant planets atmospheres & rotations like in comparison to Earth?
atmosphere = thick hydrogen and helium rich, permanently covered with clouds; rotations are a lot shorter (range from 10-17 1/2 hours) so it draws their clouds into parallel bands called belts and zones
why was neptune discovered?
because it had to be there
Neptune's rapid rotation draws its clouds into....
belts & zones
other ____ orbits Jupiter as small moons and ringlets
debris
which of Jupiter's moons have iron cores? which dont?
do = Io, Europa, Ganymede dont= Callisto [has mixed ice-rock interior]
below it's cloud layer, jupiter's mantle is...
entirely liquid
how often does jupiter rotate?
every 10 hours
jupiter has the ____ rotation out of all the other planets
fastest
Jupiter is the ___ of four planets with rings; what other planets have rings?
first; Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
what are Saturn's spectacular rings composed of?
fragments of ice & ice coated rock
what is the largest satellite in the solar system?
ganymede
Uranus and Neptune are ____ giants that are ____ to eachother
ice; similiar
describe the surface of Enceladus.
icy, wrinkled surface
how is uranus unique in regards to its axis of rotation?
its axis of rotation lies near the plane of its orbit, producing greatly exaggerated seasons on the planet
what is the most massive planet in the entire solar system?
jupiter
Ganymede is ___ than Mercury
larger
what are the light colored zones & dark colored zones in jupiter's atmosphere?
light colored = regions of rising gases; dark colored = regions of descending gasses
Europa harbors ___ ___ below its surface
liquid water
the smoothness of Callisto can be explained by a .... ; which would?
liquid water interior; dampen the impact shock and thereby prevent the opposite side from becoming disturbed
do the four outer planets have solid or liquid surfaces?
liquid, not solid
Titan's lakes are filled with....
methane & ethane
jupiter has a diverse set of ___
moons
saturn also has a diverse set of ____; ___ & ___ being the most bizarre
moons; Enceladus & Titam
is saturn the only planet with rings?
no. all four giant planets (jupiter, saturn, uranus, and neptune)
is jupiter a "failed star"? Why or why not?
no. jupiter has 75 times too little mass to shine as a star
does jupiter have continents and oceans?
no. jupiter is surrounded by a thick atmosphere primarily composed of hydrogen and helium that gradually becomes liquid as you move inward. the only solid matter in jupiter is its core
are the rings of saturn solid ribbons?
no. saturn's rings are all composed of thin, closely spaced ringlets consisting of particles of ice and ice-coated rocks. if they were solid ribbons, saturn's gravitational tidal force would tear them apart
A system of ___ and ___ revolves around Uranus
rings & satellites
Neptune has ___ and captured ___
rings; moons
Io is composed of mostly ___ like Earth, instead of ____ ____ like Jupiter
rock; lighter elements
compare jupiter's & saturn's atmospheric temperatures & surface gravity?
saturn has a lower atmospheric temperature than Jupiter as well as a weaker surface gravity than jupiter so its cloud layers are more spread out
How are Uranus & Neptune similar to each other?
similar in appearance, mass, size, and chemical composition. each has a rocky core surrounded by a thick, watery mantle topped by a layer rich in normal hydrogen and helium; the axes of their magnetic fields are steeply inclined to their axis of rotation; and both planets are surrounded by systems of thin, dark rings
the four giant worlds lack ___ surfaces and are so much ___ & ____ so much faster and have such different ___ compositions from our planet
solid; larger; rotate; chemical
jupiter's outer layer is a dynamic are of...
storms & turbulent gas
what is jupiter's great red spot?
the great red spot is a long-lived, oval cloud circulation, similiar to a hurricane or typhoon on earth.
The Outer Planets: A Comparison >> do the four outer planets have magnetic fields? rings?
they have magnetic fields that store particles from the solar wind, similar to Earth; the four giants also all have rings
Io's surface is sculpted by ___ ____
volcanic activity
what is proof that Enceladus has liquid water inside of it?
when jets of water were seen shooting out from it
