Planets of the Solar System: Jupiter & Saturn
- Mar 21, 2022
- 4 min read
As mentioned in our Solar System blog, there are a total of eight planets in our Solar System. In this blog, we will be discussing Jupiter and Saturn. Both Jupiter and Saturn are located beyond the asteroid belt, which separates the inner planets from the outer planets. They are classified as gassy planets, meaning that they do not have a solid surface. But beyond these basic similarities, Jupiter and Saturn are quite different from each other.
Jupiter
Named after the king of ancient Roman gods and located 5.2 AU from the Sun (778 million km or 484 million miles), Jupiter is the fifth planet in our Solar System, as well as the biggest. In fact, its width is so big that it could theoretically fit 11 Earths across its diameter. Furthermore, its size is so huge that scientists theorize that it may have been a failed star. Jupiter's atmosphere is composed of hydrogen and helium, and stripes and swirls that can be seen on its surface are due to “cold, windy clouds of ammonia and water” in its atmosphere (NASA, 2022). Another unique feature of its surface, and arguable one of the most well-known, is the Great Red Spot. The Great Red Spot is a storm that has raged on for hundreds of years, and its size is twice the size of Earth. In addition, Jupiter also has rings composed of dust, but they are very faint to spot. One Jovian day (a day on Jupiter) (or one rotation) is 10 hours, and one year (or one revolution) takes about 12 Earth years to complete. Furthermore, due to its distance from the Sun, it takes about 43 minutes for the Sun's light to reach Jupiter, in comparison to the approximation of 9 minutes that it takes for the Sun's light to reach Earth. Jupiter has well over 75 moons, many that haven't even been discovered yet, the four largest ones being Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. They were also the first moons discovered beyond Earth by Galileo in 1610. Although it is highly unlikely for life to exist on Jupiter, the same cannot be said for its moons. For example, Europa is a candidate for potentially host life due to evidence of its "vast ocean" beneath its "icy crust" (NASA, 2022). Nine total spacecraft have visited Jupiter, the recent one being the Juno mission by NASA in 2016.
Saturn
Named after the Roman god of agriculture and wealth, Saturn is the sixth planet in our Solar System, as well as the second largest planet in our Solar System (after Jupiter). In fact, Saturn is so big in size that its diameter is nine times wider than Earth. Just like its neighbor Jupiter, Saturn is also composed of hydrogen and helium and has dozens of moons orbiting it. Although Saturn may be an unlikely place for life to exist in, scientists theorize that two of its moons, Titan and Enceladus, may contain life. A unique and famous feature of Saturn is its seven rings, which are composed of "chunks of ice and rocks" (NASA 2022). The ice and rocks are theorized to come from "pieces of comets, asteroids, and shattered moons" that broke apart due to Saturn's gravity, which can range in size from about tiny grain-sized particles to "as big as a house" (NASA 2022). The rings are mostly white-colored, and each ring spins at a different speed around Saturn. Horizontally, the rings extend about 175,000 miles, but vertically, they are only about 30 feet tall. One rotation of Saturn takes about 10.7 hours, while one revolution takes about 29 Earth days. Saturn was the farthest planet from the Earth that was discovered by the unaided eye, and it is the only planet to have a density of less than water- this means that if it were to be put in a body of water, it would float. It is about 9.5 AU from the Sun (1.4 billion kilometers or 886 million miles), and due to this distance, it takes 80 minutes for the Sun's light to reach Saturn. Saturn also experiences aurorae, just like Jupiter and Earth, but unlike Earth, some of its aurorae are unaffected by solar wind, and instead are caused due to particles that are ejected from Saturn's moons and its magnetic field (due to its rapid rotation).
Thank you for taking time out of your day to read our blog. We hope you learned something new! To find out more about planets in general, or about our previous blogs about the first four planets, check out the links below! Stay tuned for our next blog about Uranus and Neptune to continue learning about the planets in our Solar System! Make sure to like, comment, and share with your friends, as well as subscribe for our blog to receive updates on new posts. If you’re on Instagram, follow us by clicking the Instagram icon on the top right, or go to @midnight___eclipse. As always, keep gazing skywards!
Mercury & Venus: https://mid-night-eclipse.wixsite.com/astronomyblog/post/planets-of-the-solar-system-mercury-and-venus
Earth & Mars: https://mid-night-eclipse.wixsite.com/astronomyblog/post/planets-of-the-solar-system-earth-and-mars
Bibliography
NASA. (2022, March 7). Home – NASA solar system exploration. NASA. Retrieved March 7, 2022, from
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/
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