ASTR1030 - FALL, 2008. LECTURE 25; PAGE 1
ASTR1030
Announcements
http://lasp.colorado.edu/~ergun/
ASTR1030/
HW5 due today.
Next observing: Monday Nov. 10.
• This week’s reading: Chapter 11.
Today
• Giant Planets
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ASTR1030 Fall 2008: Giant Planets' Interiors & Atmospheres - Prof. Robert E. Ergun, Study notes of Astronomy
A part of the lecture notes for the astr1030 course at the university of colorado boulder, taught in the fall of 2008. The lecture covers various topics related to giant planets, including their interiors, surfaces, composition, atmospheric circulation, and magnetospheres. The document also discusses the color of planets like jupiter, uranus, and neptune, as well as planetary spots and the equatorial bulge.
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ASTR
Announcements
http://lasp.colorado.edu/~ergun/
ASTR1030/
HW5 due today.
Next observing: Monday Nov. 10.
- This week’s reading: Chapter 11.
Today
- Giant Planets
Interiors
Interiors
Surfaces
Banded Structure
Jupiter’s and Saturn’s Composition
Surface Composition: • Ammonia (NH
3
- Water (H
2
O)
- Ammonium Hydro sulfide (NH
4
SH)
- Methane (CH
4
Color: It is believed the color comes from Sulfur compounds.
Surfaces
Banded Structure
Atmospheric Circulation
Atmospheric Circulation
Surfaces
Surfaces
The Blue Color of Uranus and Neptune
Planetary Spots
The Equatorial Bulge
Bulge: • Gravity, by itself, forces a spherical shape.• Rapid rotation of a large planet offsets (reduces) the effective gravity at the
equator.
- The “surface” gravity of the giant planets is relatively low due to low densi-
ties.