Jupiter – Nature Noon

Jupiter’s Great Red Spot: Fascinating Facts

This is about the Jupiter’s Great Red Spot. Jupiter’s Great Red Spot shrinks, but there’s still plenty to learn from it. If you want to learn more about Jupiter’s Great Red Spot, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s jump right in! Jupiter’s Great Red Spot Is Extremely Hot Due to its far distance from our Sun, gas giant Jupiter should rightfully yield drastically cooler temperatures. But, a new study published in Nature shows that Jupiter’s Great Red Spot temperature is extremely hot. In fact, they are hundreds of degrees hotter than anywhere else on the planet. The mysterious storm, waging on for over 300 years, has puzzled astronomers for decades. The recent findings hope to shed new light on this vexing weather phenomenon. The Search for Great Red Spot Temperature Causes Jupiter’s polar auroras generate strong electricity capable of heating the planet’s atmosphere. However, scientists believe this generated heat should primarily stay confined to the upper and lower latitudes. Ultimately, with its rapid speeds, Jupiter’s atmosphere itself may be a culprit for elevated temperatures. Specifically, the atmosphere surrounding the infamous Great Red Spot. First, the storm swirls at astonishing speeds, whirling atmospheric gases around, creating gravity waves. The waves continue upward, colliding hundreds of miles above the Jovian atmosphere, releasing tremendous energy when they crash. Observing Jupiter’s Great Red Spot Planetary scientist at Boston University, James O’Donoghue, led the study. O’Donoghue used the NASA 3-meter infrared telescope in Hawaii’s Mauna Kea Observatory to monitor above and around Jupiter’s Great Red Spot. His findings indicated no other heat source in the area, leading him to conclusively believe the heat is coming from within or beneath the Red Spot. O’Donoghue was able to search for a specific molecule found in all gas giant planet’s atmospheres. The molecule, H3+, can be examined and used as a tool for scientists to determine temperatures. This is how the team determined the temperature differences in the Great Red Spot and the rest of the planet. Unexpected Findings on Jupiter Ultimately, O’Donoghue also stumbled on more than simply temperature information in his study. Suppose Jupiter’s heat is coming from below the Great Red Spot. In that case, this demonstrates that different levels of Jupiter’s atmosphere affect each other. No other previous study has generated evidence of this. Meanwhile, other recent studies have shown Jupiter’s Great Red Spot to be slowly decreasing in size. This poses a serious concern for O’Donoghue and other scientists. “I hope it doesn’t shrink too much so we can’t understand it before it goes, because that would be a shame,” says O’Donoghue. Given the longevity of the puzzling storm, it’s safe to say it will not likely disappear any time in the very near future. As a key player in the formation of our solar system, Jupiter remains rather mysterious. Yet, with the scientific attention, it is receiving this year, astronomers hope to unlock a wealth of answers and information.

Astronomy

10 Fascinating Facts About Jupiter

These are 10 fascinating facts about Jupiter. That’s 300 times bigger than Earth all the way up to the most powerful electromagnetic field in the solar system. So if you want to learn 10 fascinating facts about Jupiter, then this article is for you. Let’s get started! 10 Jupiter Facts Jupiter is named after the king of the gods in Greek and Roman mythology. Jupiter shrouded himself in a cloak of clouds to hide his mischief. Similarly, planet Jupiter conceals exciting and fascinating mysteries beneath its deadly clouds. It’s also an absolute giant. In fact, the only thing bigger in our solar system is the Sun. As on of the naked eye planets, Jupiter shines bright and powerful in our night skies. It has been studied since the times of ancient human civilizations. Without further ado, here are 10 fascinating facts about Jupiter! #1 Jupiter Is Big. Like… Huge It’s no secret that Jupiter is the biggest planet in our solar system. But it’s actually more than 300 times as massive as Earth. Jupiter is 2.5 more massive than all other planets in our solar system combined. The only thing bigger and more massive in the solar system is our Sun. #2 Winner: Fastest Spinning Planet in the Solar System Jupiter may be gigantic, but it spins faster than any other planet. Kind of like an NFL lineman running a 4-second 40-yard-dash. It rotates at nearly 30,000 miles per hour. Due to this speed, Jupiter’s day is only 10 hours long. This incredible speed even causes the regions around Jupiter’s equator to bulge out significantly. #3 The Longest Storm: Jupiter’s Great Red Spot Perhaps Jupiter’s most famous feature, the Great Red Spot, is a wild and gigantic storm. The storm is big enough to fit three Earths in its diameter. The Great Red Spot has been raging on for more than 350 years and shows little-to-no signs of slowing down any time soon. #4 Jupiter Is the Fourth Brightest Object in Our Sky Only the Moon, Sun, and Venus shine brighter from Earth. In fact, Jupiter is so bright that its observational recordings date back to the 7th century BC, by ancient Babylonians. It is the second brightest of what we call the naked-eye planets. #5 Winner: Largest Known Moon in the Solar System Of Jupiter’s award-winning 67 known moons, Ganymede takes the prize for the biggest Moon. At 3,200 miles across, Ganymede is even bigger than planet Mercury. On the other hand, our Moon is only 2,000 miles across. #6 Jupiter Could Have Been a Star Don’t worry. It won’t happen. Jupiter is similar to a star in that it is predominantly composed of hydrogen and helium. It’s also very massive, much like a typical star, but not quite enough. If the planet were to grow around 70 times as large as it is now, nuclear fusion would occur. If this growth were to happen magically and fusion kicked in, Jupiter would transform into a real star. That would cause quite a brutal situation for our solar system. We would have two Suns. #7 Jupiter, the Ringed Planet? That’s right, Jupiter has rings. Actually, it is one of four planets with ring systems (Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune). However, the rings are quite faint and not something you could see through an amateur telescope. Jupiter’s rings even have sections, just like the famous rings of Saturn that we have all seen and know. #8 Jupiter Has Liquid Oceans Beneath Its Clouds Though these are not the kind of oceans you would want to go swimming in, they are liquid hydrogen. It obviously takes extreme conditions for elements like hydrogen to reach a liquid phase. Somewhere around -400º Fahrenheit, to be exact. Plus, the oceans are surrounded by thousands of miles of gases. #9 Jupiter Is Earth’s Protective Big Brother Due to its gigantic size and gravity, Jupiter pulls in many things floating around the solar system. Doing this has saved Earth from several comets and asteroids that otherwise would have hit us. This was particularly witnessed with the Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet in 1994. Jupiter’s strong gravity broke the comet apart, and the pieces ultimately pummeled Jupiter. Thanks, big bro. #10 Jupiter’s Radiation Belt Is Huge Again, Jupiter has the solar system’s most powerful electromagnetic field because of its large size and extreme conditions. In fact, if it were visible to us, Jupiter would appear to be as big as our Sun. For this reason, missions like NASA’s Juno spacecraft must travel very carefully and protect their equipment.

Astronomy

Living On Jupiter (What Would Life Be on Jupiter?)

This is about how it would be to live on the planet Jupiter. How about a brisk -240º Fahrenheit? So if you want to know how life on Saturn might be, this article is for you. Let’s jump right in! What Would It Be Like To Live on Jupiter? What would it be like living on Jupiter? Well, it is a gigantic ball of gas, and therefore has no solid surface to live on. But, for now, let’s ignore that and journey past the inner, rocky planets to explore your new home, Jupiter. Jupiter, in Roman mythology, was the god of all gods. Jupiter, among planets, assumes this same role. This gas giant is the largest planet in our solar system, out-sized only by our enormous Sun. Actually, it is so large that it would have been another Sun if it were only 80 times bigger. Currently accepted theory even states that Jupiter likely played a key role in the formation of our entire solar system. Without further ado, let’s assume all necessary technology is in place to protect from harm and see what it would be like to live on Jupiter. Jupiter – Quick Facts Distance from Sun: 484 million miles Text Message to Earth: Takes about 48 min. Mass: 318 x Earth Width: 11 x Earth Gravity: 2.4 x Earth Length of Day: 10 hours (42% of 1 Earth Day) Length of Year: 4,333 days (12 x 1 Earth year) Average Temperature: -166º F Pressure: Unknown Moons: 67 known Rings: Yes Scouting a New Neighborhood You now officially live in the outer solar system, with your new home just under 500 million miles away from planet Earth. Out here, things start getting really weird and spooky. We have already visited the inner rocky planets, like Venus, Mercury, and Mars were dangerous enough. But, the outer solar system is an entirely new arena of dangers. Picking out the region in which you’ll now receive your mail will be most important. Let’s go over the options. Here is a video from NASA to hear the actual sound of Juno entering Jupiter’s eerie magnetic field: Remember the metallic hydrogen ocean inside of Jupiter? Yeah, that metal is now a super-conductor for these particles. That surface layer real-estate is looking pretty good right now, eh? Even still, you will need very sophisticated protection against this strong field and its radiant properties. According to a study using data from the Voyager and Galileo missions, Jupiter’s moon Io’s volcano clusters are offset hundreds of miles eastward of where they were predicted to be. (NASA/JPL) Your Typical Day on Jupiter Having a bad day? Hate Mondays? The good news is that your new day living on Jupiter only lasts five hours. So, you’ll only have to wait for 20% as long for the next episode of The Walking Dead to air. Jupiter is the biggest and fastest-spinning planet in our solar system. Kind of like an NFL lineman running a 4-second 40-yard-dash. The planet rotates once every 10 hours. Jupiter’s gravity is immense, nearly three times that of Earth. So, productivity will be a concern. The amount of sluggish activity you will fit in a five-hour day will be very little. You will want your office, your favorite restaurants, and your gym nearby. Between your sloth-like movement and your planet being almost 300,000 miles around, getting from point A to B will not be quick. However, living on Jupiter does have some perks. For instance, every two weeks, you can watch the Juno spacecraft fly by as it orbits. Nostalgically, this will be the new version of what the International Space Station was on Earth. Plus, depending on your selected location, you could get a close-up view of three faint rings (above). Yes, your new home has a ring system. They are very sparse, nothing like Saturn’s famous rings. Telescopes from Earth never see these, so this might be a nice treat. Your Typical Night on Jupiter Nighttime on Jupiter will be similar to your day; brief. Only lasting for a short five hours, you will want to maximize sleep. But, if you do want to stay up, there are some sights to see. Do you ever stay up late on Earth to see the Moon on a summer night? Living on Jupiter, you have 67 Moons, maybe more. Ganymede, our solar system’s biggest Moon, floats nearly 700,000 miles out. But, at over 3,000 miles wide, Ganymede is 8% larger than planet Mercury, so it should be easily viewed. Actually, Ganymede, alongside Io, Callisto and Europa, is one of four Galilean Moons. Discovered in 1610 by famous astronomer Galileo Galilei, these Moons were the first known object to orbit another planet. So, you will be front row for some of astronomy’s most epic history. Finally, if you venture up North, you can see the biggest auroras in the solar system. They are bigger than the entire planet Earth and are the main focus of Juno’s mission. Despite their incredibly dangerous radiation and electricity, they would put our northern lights to shame. Your Typical Year on Jupiter In contrast to your brief days and night, your new home’s calendar year lasts 4,333 Earth days. That is nearly twelve times your normal Earth year. Because of this long year, if you left Earth in your 30s, you are just now fighting your way through the “Terrible Two’s” on Jupiter. Also, with your nagging new gravity, your weight will spike … a lot. In other words, if you left Earth a fit 150 pounds, you now weigh in at 350 pounds. If you could leap 20 inches high on Earth, you sadly only have eight inches of “ups” now. Finally, if you were proudly bench-pressing 200 pounds on Earth, you are now putting up 80 pounds. Maybe you can open up a new Jovian gym called 10 Hour Fitness? Bottom line: you are now a slow, overweight two-year-old with a pathetic vertical, putting up disgraceful numbers in the gym. So, you might want to put healthy snacks, not far away, on the lowest possible shelves. Your Local Weather Forecast Living …