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Category Archives: Jovians
How Big Can a Planet Get?
Jupiter is big. Not only is it the biggest planet in our solar system, but it is large enough to fit all the other planets in the solar system inside of it. However, Jupiter is not as dense as Earth, and even though it can fit about 1,300 Earths inside of it, it is approximatelyContinue reading “How Big Can a Planet Get?” Continue reading
The Interiors of the Giants of the Solar System
The giants of our solar system, other than the Sun of course, are quite different from the terrestrial planets whether it comes to the atmospheres, the surfaces, size, or other planetary features. One key difference is the interior of these giant planets. Terrestrial planets, for context, have a very dense core followed by a rockyContinue reading “The Interiors of the Giants of the Solar System” Continue reading
Big Planets’ Moons and Life Outside “Habitability”
Astrobiology has long relied on the concept of a “habitable zone”, that is a zone around a star that is the right distance from said star to hold liquid water, and therefore life. This concept is absolutely valuable, especially insofar as it allows us to classify new exoplanets and identify potential exoplanets that may hostContinue reading “Big Planets’ Moons and Life Outside “Habitability”” Continue reading
Jovian Planet Interiors
The Jovian planets are often called “gas giants,” making it sound as if they were entirely gaseous. However, this name can be misleading, as it is true Jupiter and Saturn became giant primarily because they captured so much hydrogen and helium gas, but their strong gravity compresses most of the “gas” into forms of matterContinue reading “Jovian Planet Interiors” Continue reading
Jupiter’s Eclectic Moons
As we’ve seen in our study of the Jovian planets, the actual planets themselves aren’t the only important space-related object that provides useful and insightful information. Every Jovian planet has some sort of celestial object orbiting or surrounding it, especially the moons surrounding Jupiter. Discovered by Galileo Galilei way back in 1610 (on January 10th), … Continue reading Jupiter’s Eclectic Moons → Continue reading
Jovian Planet’s Rings
Contrary to popular belief, Saturn is not the only planet in our Solar System with rings. In fact, all four jovian planets have rings, but Saturn’s are just the most noticeable because of their reflective properties. Jupiter’s rings are made of small, dark particles, which is why it is hard to detect them in photographs. … Continue reading Jovian Planet’s Rings Continue reading
Posted in Class, Jovians, SolarSystem
Tagged blog5, Jovian Planets, rings
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A Moon Above the Rest: Jupiter’s Moon Ganymede
Galileo Galilei discovered many “luminous objects” in 1610 that were orbiting Jupiter. Thought to be stars, it was discovered that they were moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. Ganymede is the largest moon in the Solar System and is even larger than the planet Mercury. It is the only satellite in the Solar System known to possess a … Continue reading A Moon Above the Rest: Jupiter’s Moon Ganymede → Continue reading
Jovian Planets
Jovian planets always interested me. The term “Jovian” is naturally everyone’s first guess – derived from the Latin root, Iovis, or Jovis. It’s a 3rd declension, genitive singular noun, so any classics nerds should know that it very specifically translates to OF Jupiter. I don’t know, I just find it interesting that an entire class … Continue reading Jovian Planets → Continue reading
Songs of Space
Recently I’ve been collecting space-themed songs (for a McTyeire Hall event called the Galaxy Gala!), and then I thought of something I’ve heard of before: sounds coming from space! Because space is a vacuum, sound waves cannot travel through it. However, many objects within the Solar System do emit radio waves, and NASA scientists have […] Continue reading
Posted in Instruments, Jovians, Universe
Tagged astro2110, blackhole, blog4, jupiter, NASA, Solar System
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The Real Geo-Storm: Saturn’s Hexagon
Saturn. The only planet that people are able to clearly point out that has a large ring going around it. Ask any elementary school-aged individual and they will tell you that the only thing they know about Saturn is that it is that “big planet with the ring around it.” The reality of this is… Continue Reading → Continue reading
Posted in Jovians
Tagged blog5, saturn, Solar System
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