16-3 | The Outer Planets

The Outer Planets The outer planets are called Jovian planets/gas giants because they have no known solid surfaces Planets found after the asteroid belt

Jupiter Distance from the Sun = 43.3 light-minutes or 5 AU Surface temperature = -153⁰C Gravity = 236% of Earth’s 62 moons – Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Calisto

Jupiter Revolution = 12 years Rotation = almost 10 hours Atmosphere Water, methane, ammonia Great Red spot – permanent storm 3 times the Earth’s size Generates more heat than it absorbs because of gases.

Saturn Distance from the Sun = 1.3 light-hours or 9.54 AU Surface temperature = -185⁰C Gravity = 107% of Earth’s

Saturn 61 moons and most visible rings in solar system – Titan is the largest moon Revolution = 29 years and 155 days Rotation = 10 hours and 39 minutes “The most beautiful phenomenon in the universe” More than 200,000 km in diameter, about 1 km in height Shepherd moons keep rings together

2.7 light-hours or 19 AU from the sun Temperature = -214 degrees C Gravity: 89% of Earth’s Uranus

Revolution = 17 years and 14 day, retrograde 27 known moons – Miranda Revolution = 17 years and 14 day, retrograde Tipped over on its side – axis of rotation almost 98 degrees Causes crazy seasonal changes Rings are skinny with gaps Uranus

Distance from the Sun = 4.2 light-hours or 30 AU Surface temperature = -225⁰C 13 moons and 5 rings – Triton is one of the moons Narrow and bunched up rings Due to the gravitational pull of the moons Triton is a major moon with a retrograde motion (opposite of Neptune) Might have been caught in its orbit Will one day collide with Neptune Neptune

Revolution = 163 years and 263 days Rotation = 16 hours and 7 minutes The Blue World Has a Great Dark Spot Clouds How can there be clouds? It is still contracting, thus releasing energy So much carbon and pressure that it actually might form diamonds… DIAMOND RAIN!! Neptune