Jupiter and Its Galilean Moons
Jupiter and its Galilean Moons
By: Logan Brink
Astronomy 101
April 19, 2011
The solar system is an intriguing place. There are objects in our solar system that have unfathomable beauty; a few of these beautiful objects being Jupiter and its four Galilean moons. Jupiter is one of the most interesting bodies in the solar system, so it makes sense that its four largest moons are equally fascinating. The Galilean moons are some of the most curious bodies in our solar system. From dead worlds to water worlds to fire worlds, these four moons may hold a lot of answers to some of the mysteries of the solar system. At 5.2 A.Us (Astronomical units – 93,000,000 miles) from the Sun, Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the first of the gas giants (Bennett et. al A-14-15). Being so far away from the Sun, it takes Jupiter about 11.9 Earth years to orbit the Sun (Kerrod 148). Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system; in fact, it is more massive than all the other planets combined! At its equator, the gas giant measures 88,850 miles in diameter (Kerrod 148). Jupiter is so huge that it is eleven times bigger across than Earth. Jupiter’s size, however, does not seem to have any effect on how fast the planet spins on its axis. Earth spins on its axis in about 24 hours, one Earth day. Jupiter has eleven times the diameter as Earth and spins on its axis in approximately 9 hours and 55 minutes (Kerrod 148). This means that the massive planet is spinning inordinately fast, this, as one can imagine, causes some pretty intense weather with 300-500 mile per hour winds.
Jupiter’s most impressive feature is probably its massive hurricane type storm people know as the Great Red Spot. The Great Red Spot (GRS) measures 25,000 miles across (Kerrod 148). It is red because of the phosphorous in the atmosphere (Kerrod 148). Astronomers have been observing the Great Red Spot for 300-500 years (Kerrod 148). The GRS lies in the South Equatorial Belt and, for the most part,
By: Logan Brink
Astronomy 101
April 19, 2011
The solar system is an intriguing place. There are objects in our solar system that have unfathomable beauty; a few of these beautiful objects being Jupiter and its four Galilean moons. Jupiter is one of the most interesting bodies in the solar system, so it makes sense that its four largest moons are equally fascinating. The Galilean moons are some of the most curious bodies in our solar system. From dead worlds to water worlds to fire worlds, these four moons may hold a lot of answers to some of the mysteries of the solar system. At 5.2 A.Us (Astronomical units – 93,000,000 miles) from the Sun, Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the first of the gas giants (Bennett et. al A-14-15). Being so far away from the Sun, it takes Jupiter about 11.9 Earth years to orbit the Sun (Kerrod 148). Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system; in fact, it is more massive than all the other planets combined! At its equator, the gas giant measures 88,850 miles in diameter (Kerrod 148). Jupiter is so huge that it is eleven times bigger across than Earth. Jupiter’s size, however, does not seem to have any effect on how fast the planet spins on its axis. Earth spins on its axis in about 24 hours, one Earth day. Jupiter has eleven times the diameter as Earth and spins on its axis in approximately 9 hours and 55 minutes (Kerrod 148). This means that the massive planet is spinning inordinately fast, this, as one can imagine, causes some pretty intense weather with 300-500 mile per hour winds.
Jupiter’s most impressive feature is probably its massive hurricane type storm people know as the Great Red Spot. The Great Red Spot (GRS) measures 25,000 miles across (Kerrod 148). It is red because of the phosphorous in the atmosphere (Kerrod 148). Astronomers have been observing the Great Red Spot for 300-500 years (Kerrod 148). The GRS lies in the South Equatorial Belt and, for the most part,