Lab 8 (1)

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Purdue University, Northwest *

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Astronomy

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Dec 6, 2023

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1. Jupiter is often called a “failed star” because although it is pretty massive, it is not massive enough to cause nuclear fusion in its core (which is how a star “burns”). The minimum amount of mass needed for an object to become a star is roughly 2 x 1029 kg. The mass of Jupiter is 2 x 1027 kg. How many Jupiters would you have to combine to get the smallest possible star? Mass needed to be a star is 2 x 10^29 kg Real Number =200,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 Mass of Jupiter is 2 x 10^27kg Real Number = 2,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 Subtract both mases. Scientific notation: = 1.98 × 1029 Real number: 198,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 2. Watch the clip of Juno footage taken of the Great Red Spot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOlkr8LTDR0 a. It takes a feature on the edge about 6 Earth days to move in a complete circle around the center of the storm. How many hours is that? 144 hours b. Six days may seem like a long time - but remember that the Great Red Spot is huge: almost 2 Earths could fit inside. This means that a feature moves about 63,780 kilometers around the edge of the Great Red Spot. What is its speed as it moves around? Use the equation: distance = speed x time. This is the wind speed at the outer edge of the storm! 63,780 km= speed x 144 hours

63,780 km/144 hours = 123.032407 m / s 3. How do clouds form? Why are there different layers of clouds on Jupiter? (Don’t confuse these with the bands we see on Jupiter – though they are related.) A cloud forms when water vapor condenses in the air and forms visible ice crystals or droplets. The air has to be saturated in order for this to happen, and it will condense into either a solid or liquid. There are at least three major layers on Jupiter, which are made up of different chemicals. These clouds all sit at an altitude where their temperature is cold enough to allow the substances to condense. The planet's highest cloud is composed of ammonia clouds. 4. Many people call Jupiter (and the other Jovian planets) a “gas giant.” They think it is made entirely of gas and you could fly a spaceship right through. What is the interior of Jupiter mostly made of? The composition of Jupiter resembles that of the Sun, with mostly hydrogen and helium, and it forms the largest ocean within the solar system. The rising temperature and pressure in its atmosphere can compress the gas into a liquid, which then forms the largest ocean on the planet. Most of the planet's interior is filled with hydrogen and helium, and its central temperatures are around 13,000 to 35,000 degrees Celsius. 5. Explain why the colors of Saturn’s bands are more subdued than Jupiter’s.

The clouds of Saturn are lower in the atmosphere, which means they don't reflect as much as Jupiter. 6. a. Why are Uranus and Neptune bluish in color? Both Saturn and Uranus have blue-colored atmospheres due to the methane that they contain. On the other hand, the middle layer of the methane haze on the planet Uranus is twice as thick as that on Neptune. b. What evidence do we have that there may be a layer of compressed water on Uranus and Neptune? Based on measurements of density, it's believed that both Neptune and Uranus have core structures that can contain water. 7. What is the difference between how the magnetic fields of Jupiter and Saturn are created versus how the magnetic fields of Uranus and Neptune are created? The amount of fluid flowing through a planet's magnet field determines its strength. Both Neptune and Uranus have weak magnetic fields. Both of these planets' interiors are devoid of metallic hydrogen. On the other hand, the atmospheres of Saturn and Jupiter mainly contain hydrogen and helium.

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