Solar System Research Paper

The collection of the rocks was based on just picking up the most amount of difference looking rocks that was possible and bringing them home to analyze. This was done for about two months from many difference locations including campgrounds, beaches, rivers, highways as well as construction sites. After about two months there were many rocks so I started to analyze and take out the rocks that were of the same kind. I found many granite, basalt and conglomerate rocks.

Jupiter is the largest and the fastest spinning planet in our solar system. The storm on Jupiter known as the Great Red Spot could swallow up the entire Earth. Jupiter is made primarily of hydrogen and helium and has no solid surface. Its atmosphere resembles that of the sun. Stathopoulus (2000 – 2011), “ Sixteen moons have been identified, with Ganymede noted as the largest - it is bigger than both Mercury and Pluto” (Facts about Jupiter, para. 9).

Jupiter is a VERY important planet. Not only does is it the biggest planet in our solar system, but it keeps thousands of minor planets in their orbits. There is a family of minor planets (or asteroids) in the same plane as Jupiter. These are called Trojan asteroids. Scientists have divided these into two groups the “Greeks” and the “Trojans”. The “Greeks” come before Jupiter and the “Trojans” follow Jupiter. These asteroids are as far away from Jupiter as they are from the sun; because of this they stay and will continue to stay in the positions they are in because the gravitational pull from Jupiter and the sun are the same.

Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system. Fittingly, it was named after the king of the gods in Roman mythology. The distance from the Sun to Jupiter is approximately 779 million km, or 484 million miles. The exact number is 778,547,200 km. The most obvious features on Jupiter are the alternating bands of white and colored clouds, zones and belts. Analysis of data at many wavelengths shows that the white regions have higher thicker, clouds than the redder regions.

Jupiter Research Jupiter is the fifth and largest planet in our solar system. This gas giant has a thick atmosphere, 17 moons, and a dark, barely-visible ring. Its most prominent features are bands across its latitudes and a great red spot, (which is a storm). Jupiter is composed mostly of gas.

The solar system was created 4.6 billion years ago by a gravitational collapse. A solar system is a star that has planets, moons, asteroids, comets, and meteoroids travel around it. The solar system contains eight known planets which are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune. There is around several hundred dwarf plants but only five are currently recognized. The solar system has about 181 moons which orbit around the planets in the solar system. There is also about 150 million asteroids and 3,406 comets also in the solar system.

Despite a family history of geophysicists and rock enthusiasts, I’ve never found the subject of rocks particularly fascinating. However, an exploration of Earth Science has lead me to the discovery that rocks are actually hidden gems (often literally), and that there’s more to the topic than one would think.

“The early Earth was probably partially or largely molten” (The Solar Nebula. N.d). Over time the earth cooled and the crust was formed. “Much continental crust, the most silica rich and least dense kind, has been produced by 2.5 billion years” (The Solar Nebula. N.d). Over a period of time and a series of volcanic eruptions water vapor was thrown into the atmosphere and eventually condensed to form the oceans. From a spinning cloud of dust the evolutionary process began and the Earth that is inhabited today came into existence according to the nebular hypothesis.

Jupiter’s four largest moons were found by Galileo Galilee. Those moons are known as the Galilean satellites. Jupiter has over 67 moons, most have been named but some still remain. (Chown, M.C 2011 Solar System, Touch Press 115-137). Jupiter also has rings. Like all the other gas giants Jupiter also has rings but unlike the other planets with rings, Jupiter’s are pretty much invisible, they are the very dark. It is impossible to see Jupiter’s rings with a pair of binoculars. In fact, no one knew that Jupiter has rings until they were first seen with a very powerful telescope in 1979. Jupiter’s magnetic field is about 20,000 times stronger than Earth’s magnetic field and Jupiter’s magnetic field ranges farther than Saturn and Jupiter’s gravity is interferes with Saturn’s orbit around the sun. Jupiter’s magnetosphere revolves with Jupiter every 10 hours. The space inside the magnetosphere is filled with solar winds and its own subatomic particles. Some are placed in the magnetosphere by the volcanoes on Io (one of Jupiter’s moons) which create a doughnut-shaped ring of Sulphur and sodium around

When scientists call Jupiter a gas giant, they are not overstating. If you parachuted into Jupiter hoping to hit the ground, you would never find firm landing. The gases pile on top of one another, creating layers that extend downward. Because there is no solid ground, the surface of Jupiter is described as the point where the atmospheric pressure is equal to that of Earth. At this point, the pull of gravity is almost two and a half times stronger than it is on our planet.

We now focus our attention on the formation of one particular planet, one that is so far unlike any other in the universe, Earth.

was forming it was a giant ball made of liquid molten. Over a long period of time asteroids hit

Uncovering the mysteries of Jupiter is a crucial step for a greater understanding of our Solar System. Being the massive planet that it is, this mysterious planet may hold many answers to how our the Solar System formed and evolved. The understanding of the origins of the universe includes answers even to the formation of Earth itself. Many believe that the research of Jupiter will lead to discoveries on planet formation and the role of giant planets on the formation f stars and other smaller bodies. Mysteries of Jupiter include its composition, what is under its clouds, what is in its core and its magnetic field. Research on the amount of water in the planet will tell us about the

Scientists believe the solar system began about 5 billion years ago, perhaps when a nearby star exploded and caused a large cloud of dust and gas to collapse in on itself. The hot, central part of the cloud became the sun, while some smaller pieces formed around it and became the planets. Other fragments became asteroids and comets,

The knowledge of what the inner core is made up is still and will remain unknown until we can create a satellite that can make into the atmosphere of Jupiter and the other gas planets. Jupiter's atmosphere was also found to be quite turbulent. It is also know that Jupiter spins faster than any other planet. This indicates that Jupiter's winds are driven in large part by its internal heat rather than from solar input as on Earth. The vivid colors seen in Jupiter's clouds are probably the result of subtle chemical reactions of the trace elements in Jupiter's atmosphere, perhaps involving sulfur whose compounds take on a wide variety of colors, but the details are unknown. The colors correlate with the cloud's altitude: blue lowest, followed by browns and whites, with reds highest. Sometimes we see the lower layers through holes in the upper ones. Then we have the Great Red Spot that everyone can identify as Jupiter. This reddish color of the “Great Red Spot” is a puzzle to scientist, but several chemicals, including phosphorus, have been proposed as a reason. In fact, the color and mechanisms driving the appearance of the entire atmosphere are still not well understood. This spot has been seen by Earthly observers for more than 300 years. Robert Hooke discovered it in the 17th century. The GRS is an oval about 12,000 by 25,000 km, big enough to hold two Earths. Another interesting feature about Jupiter is that it