1. Jupiter-Like Planets
The Jovian Planets
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune

2. Appearances

3. Clouds
Storms

4. Insides

5. Earth-like: 3.9 – 5.5 g/cm3
p. 172

6. Jupiter & Saturn
Liquid molecular hydrogen/helium
Liquid
metallic
hydrogen
Rocky core
p. 175

7. p. 175

8. Uranus & Neptune
Liquid molecular hydrogen/helium
‘Slush’
Rocky core
p. 175

9. * Most Jovians are net radiators . . .
Internal heat/solar heat
Jupiter 2
Saturn 3
Uranus 1
Neptune 1.5

10. * Jovians rotate differentially . . .
‘slow’
‘fast’
 Fluid interior

11. Magnetic Fields

12. * Fluid, conducting interiors + rapid rotation 
huge magnetic fields
Strange geometry

13. Jovian
Magnetospheres

14. Jupiter & Saturn
Aurorae

15. Atmospheres

16. * No solid surfaces!
* Composition: mainly hydrogen & helium
+ some methane & ammonia.
* Heated mainly from bottom.
* Rapid rotation drives high-speed east-west
winds, forming clouds into zones & belts.
* Sustain giant cyclonic storms:
- Great Red Spot
- Great Dark Spot

17. Jupiter’s atmosphere
Belt
Zone
Temp
Rising air . . .
. . . Falling air . . .
Convection!

18. p. 175

19. Great
Red
Spot .
Cyclonic
Storm
16,000 mi

20. Great Red Spot (Jupiter)

21. Red
Spot
Movie

22. Great Dark Spot
(Neptune)

23. Galileo atmospheric probe
370 mi
- 230 oF
+300 oF

24. Blue-green of Uranus
& Neptune is due to
methane

25. Moons

26. Jupiter’s
Family

28. Io
Recent
volcanic
deposits
Vents

29. Volcanic
Plumes
Sulfur deposits

30. Volcano from above
Lava lake?

31. Europa
Icy Surface

32. Water beneath the ice?
Cracks in the Ice

33. Ice ‘Rafts’

34. p. 175

35. Ganymede
Craters in
icy crust

36. Strange grooved terrain – suggestive of tectonic
activity . . .

37. Callisto
The most heavily
cratered body in
the Solar System!

38. Valhalla Impact Basin

39. Saturn’s
Moons
Titan

40. Voyager, 1981
Titan
Haze
(‘smog’)
Hubble Space
Telescope, 1998
90% nitrogen
Ethane lakes?

41. Cassini mission to Saturn
(Arrival: 2004)
Huygens probe
descending toward
Titan

42. Rhea
Enceladus
Dione
Densities ~ 1.2 – 1.4 g/cm3
Ice + rock interiors &
icy surfaces.

43. Some of Saturn’s minor satellites.

44. Moons of
Uranus
Miranda

45. Miranda
Groovy terrain!

46. Neptune:
8 moons
Neptune
Triton

47. Triton ‘Cantaloupe’ terrain Nitrogen ice surface Temp = - 390 oF
South polar
cap

48. Streaks probably
result from
nitrogen geysers.
Dark streaks
Old Faithful

49. Clouds in a thin
nitrogen atmosphere.

50. Rings

51. RINGS * Consist of particles, each following an orbit
about a planet, like a small moon.

52. Jupiter: ‘smoke’
particles.

53. Saturn: chunks of
ice & icy rock

54. ‘Braids’ in
the F Ring.

55. Shepherd satellites
(‘moons’) and F Ring.

56. Ring ‘Spokes.’

58. Uranus: Dark
& chunky ring
particles.

59. Neptune: Dark &
chunky
ring particles.