Jupiter

Jupiter is the biggest planet of the Solar System

and the fifth from the Sun. Its mass is two and a
half times the mass of all the other planets
combined. Its volume is 1400 times the volume of
the Earth. It has the highest rotational velocity so
it has the shortest rotational periode.
It's a gas giant fromed by Hidrogen and Helium.
It was discovered by astronomers of ancient
times who named the planet after the Roman God
Jupiter.

Jupiter's structure

Jupiter's atmosphere
The atmosphere of Jupiter does not present a clear border with
the liquid interior of the planet, the transition is taking place in a
gradual way.
The atmosphere of Jupiter is divided in dark belts called Bands
and clear regions called Zones, all of them aligned in the
direction of the parallel ones. The bands and zones delimit a
system of wind currents alternantes in direction with the latitude
and in general of great intensity.

The Great Red Spot

It is a persistent anticyclonic storm that is larger than the Earth.
The oval object rotates counterclockwise, with a period of about six days. It is large
enough to contain two or three planets of Earth's diameter.
Storms such as this are common within the turbulent atmospheres of gas giants.
Jupiter also has white ovals and brown ovals, which are lesser unnamed storms.
White ovals tend to consist of relatively cool clouds within the upper atmosphere.
Brown ovals are warmer and located within the "normal cloud layer". Such storms can
last as little as a few hours or stretch on for centuries.
Latest evidence by the Hubble Space Telescope shows there are three "red spots"
adjacent to the Great Red Spot.

Magnetosphere
Jupiter has an extencive magnetosphere formed by a magnetic
fied of great intensity. It is the biggest structure in the Solar
System.
The magnetosphere is caused in the deep interior of Jupiter where
the Hydrogen behaves as metal due to the highest pressure.
The metals are, certainly, excellent drivers of electrons, and the rotation of the
planet produces currents, wich produce an extensive magnetic field.

Satellites
The principal satellites of Jupiter were discoverd by Galileo Galilei it's
why they are called Galilean Satellites.

- IO is a volcanic satellite wich is in constant renovation.

- EUROPE is a frozen satellite in which the astronomous expect the
presence of liquid oceans of water and even the presence of life.
- GANIMEDES is the biggest satellite of the whole solar system, it's
composed by a core of iron covered by a rocky mantel of ice.
- CALISTO is charecterized for beeing the satellite that presents the
major quantity of chraters produced by impacts in the solar system .

Satellites

There are other satellites called minors, they can be divided in two
groups:
- Group of Amaltea: they are four small satellites which orbite arround
Jupiter in internal orbites with the Galilean Satellites. This group is
composed by: Metis, Andrastea, Amaltea and Tebe.
- Irregular Satellites: they are a numerous group of satellites in very
distant orbits of Jupiter. They are so far away from it that the gravity of
the Sun distorts their orbits. They are generally small satellites

This are the Amaltea's Satellites.

Rings system
Jupiter possesses a tenuous system of rings that were discoverd by a
sounding line called Voyager 1. The principal ring couldn't be observed
without the sounding line due to its limitated optical thikness.
The principal ring is composed by material of the satellites Andrastea
and Metis. This material is getting closer and closer to Jupiter because
of its gravity, but this it is replaced by other impacts. A similiar proces
happens with the exterior ring with Amaltea and Tebas.

Jupiter's formation
There are two types of theories of the formation of the
planet:
-Formation from a core of ices of a mass concerning 10 times
the terrestrial mass capable of attracting and accumulating
the gas of the protosolar nebulae
-Early formation due to gravitational direct collapse since it
would happen in case of a star.
In both cases the models have difficulties to make clear the size and total
mass of the planet, his orbital distance of 5 ua, seems to indicate that
Jupiter did not move from the region of formation, and the chemical
composition of his atmosphere, especially of rare gases, enriched with
regard to the Sun.

Impact of the comet SL9

In July, 1994 the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 struck against the atmosphere
of Jupiter.
The impacts showed the formation of impressive balls of fire in the minutes
later to every impact of whose analysis it was possible to deduce the mass
of each one of the fragments of the comet. The remains left in the
atmosphere were observed as black clouds in expansion for weeks
propagating as shock waves. His properties allowed to analyze so much
properties of the comet as of the Jovian's atmosphere and his deep interior
for analogous methods to those of the terrestrial seismology.

Recent impacts
On July 2009 Anthony Wesley discoverd a black spot with a size similar to
the diameter of the Moon. It was possibily caused by an asteroidal impact
with the planet.
It provoked an increase of the temperature of the high liers of its
asmosphere. Where it impact we can found a big cloud of dark particles of
powder that formed the spot.

Recent impacts
On June 2010, Anthony Wesley and Christopher Go observed an
intense flash of light ina very loacted region that correspond with the
impact of an asteroidal body. The flash, wich lasted a few seconds,
took place in equatorial latitudes and for the present time it does not
seem to left any remnant of obsarvable material in the atmosphere.

Spacial exploration
It was overflied in 1973 by the sounding line called Pioneer 10,
Pioneer 11, followed him one year later. There it took the first
nearby photos of Jupiter and of the Galilean Satellites, its
atmosphere was studied, the magnetic field was detected and its
belts of radiation were studied.

Montserrat Aguasca Adrover

Bel Maria Blanco Manresa