Page 46 - Ultimate Visual Dictionary (DK)

THE UNIVERSE

Jupiter TILT AND ROTATION OF JUPITER

Axis of rotation Axial tilt of 3.1°
JUPITER IS THE FIFTH PLANET from the Sun and
the innermost of the four giant planets. It is the North Pole Perpendicular
to orbital plane
largest and the most massive planet, with a
diameter about 11 times that of the Earth and a
mass about 2.5 times the combined mass of the
seven other planets. Jupiter is thought to have a
small rocky core surrounded by an inner mantle
JUPITER
of metallic hydrogen (liquid hydrogen that acts
like a metal). Outside the inner mantle is an outer mantle of liquid Orbital plane
hydrogen and helium that merges into the gaseous atmosphere.
One rotation takes South Pole
Jupiter’s rapid rate of rotation causes the clouds in its atmosphere
9 hours and 55 minutes
to form belts and zones that encircle the planet parallel to the
equator. Belts are dark, low-lying, relatively warm cloud layers, GREAT RED SPOT AND WHITE OVAL
and zones are bright, high-altitude, cooler cloud layers.
Within the belts and zones, turbulence causes the
Great Red Spot
formation of cloud features such as white ovals
(anticyclonic
and red spots, both of which are huge storm systems. storm system)
The most prominent cloud feature is a storm called
the Great Red Spot, which consists of a spiraling
Red color
column of clouds three times wider than the Earth probably due
that rises about five miles (8 km) above the upper to phosphorus
cloud layer. Jupiter has a thin, faint, main ring, inside
White oval
which is a tenuous halo ring of tiny particles. Beyond
(temporary
the main ring’s outer edge is a broad and faint anticyclonic
two-part gossamer ring. There are 63 known Jovian storm system)
moons. The four largest moons (called the
Galileans) are Ganymede, Callisto, Io, and
Europa. Ganymede and Callisto are cratered and GALILEAN MOONS OF JUPITER
icy. Europa is smooth and icy and is thought to
have a subsurface water ocean. Io is covered
in bright red, orange, and yellow splotches.
This coloring is caused by sulfurous
material from active volcanoes that shoot
plumes of lava hundreds of miles above
the surface.

EUROPA CALLISTO
INNER RINGS OF JUPITER
Diameter: 1,950 miles Diameter: 2,983 miles
Main ring Average distance from Average distance from
planet: 416,900 miles planet: 1,168,200 miles

Halo ring

GANYMEDE IO
Diameter: 3,270 miles Diameter: 2,263 miles
Average distance from Average distance from
planet: 664,900 miles planet: 262,100 miles