Tag Archives: jupiter

Historical Astronomers in Context

by me Galileo Galilei: Born on February 15, 1564, Died on January 8, 1642 Two major historical events during Galileo’s lifetime: A famous historical figure during Galileo’s lifetime:  Queen Elizabeth I: Born on September 7, 1533, Died on March 24, 1603. Queen Elizabeth I established a secure Church of England and laid out a compromise […] Continue reading

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JUICE Explorer

As discussed briefly in class, the European Space Agency (ESA) just successfully launched the Juice (formerly JUICE: JUpiter ICy moons Explorer) mission on April 14th! I had no idea this mission even existed before it was mentioned, so I decided to explore it further. The goal of this mission is focused on Jupiter’s moons. While […] Continue reading

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The Great Red Spot

If you look for an image of Jupiter in any article or textbook, you’ll likely see the famous Great Red Spot in that picture. This immense storm on Jupiter’s surface is more than double the size of Earth, and has raged on for centuries. The incredible size and duration of the Great Red Spot begs […] Continue reading

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Why is Jupiter the way it is?

Have you ever wondered why Jupiter looks so colorful? Well look no further than Jupiter’s atmosphere, where you’ll find similar and yet different features from Earth’s own atmosphere. Jupiter’s atmosphere consists of the thermosphere, stratosphere, and the troposphere, much like Earth’s atmosphere, yet where they differ is what each layer consists of. Jupiter’s thermosphere is […] Continue reading

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What is up with Io?

Today I wanted to talk about one of the most fascinating moons in the Solar System, Io is one of the four Galilean moons that orbits Jupiter, which are each large enough to be counted as planets or dwarf planets if they orbited the Sun. Io is covered in snow, and yet is by far […] Continue reading

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Jupiter’s Great Red Spot

The Great Red Spot on Jupiter is a deep, powerful vortex that is broader than Earth and has been churning for hundreds of years. Its driving mechanism differs from that of other vortices, suggesting that it derives its energy from denser and deeper layers of the atmosphere. The energy mechanisms causing the Great Red Spot […] Continue reading

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Powered and Unpowered Gravity Assists

The farthest planets in the solar system are so distant, it is infeasible to reach them using only rockets. The delta-v, or change in velocity, required to propel a spacecraft to a gas giant like Saturn is far too impractical for today’s rockets to achieve. The main problem is that a spacecraft needs tons of […] Continue reading

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Identifying Jupiter and Mars

Last night, I was looking up at the night sky while walking to dinner. I noticed a few constellations, as well as two brighter points of light that I was pretty sure were Mars and Jupiter. Normally, I can identify them, but for some reason Mars didn’t look as red to me as it normally […] Continue reading

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Blog 8 – Evidence for a Europan Ocean

Europa, Jupiter’s 4th largest and 2nd closest Galilean moon, is thought to have a large saltwater ocean covered by a layer of ice. An article from Nasa details the evidence for the existence of this ocean. The first piece of evidence is the matching zig-zagging cracks on the surface that indicate that the surface was […] Continue reading

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The Double Ridges of Europa: An Opportunity For Life

While looking into climate change related developments on the surface of Greenland, associate professor of geophysics at Stanford University’s School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences Dustin Schroeder noticed small double-ridge formations developing, similar to those observed on the surface of Jupiter’s moon, Europa. The double ridges form when pressurized water from below pushes up […] Continue reading

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