Jupiter's Surface Essay

Jupiter is the fifth planet out from the sun, and is the largest planet in our solar system. In addition, the planet is primarily made of gases, therefore it considered a “gas giant”. The 142,984 km planet’s atmosphere is made mostly of hydrogen and helium gas. Therefore, there is no solid ground on Jupiter, so the surface is considered the point where the atmospheric pressure is equal to that of Earth. The effective temperature, or “the temperature of an object calculated from the radiation it emits, assuming black-body behavior” (8) of Jupiter is -148 degrees Celsius. In addition to the gas in Jupiter’s atmosphere, there are also numerous mobile clouds. Due to these impermanent clouds, it is impossible for scientists to give us a detailed description of the planet’s appearance. However, one marking on Jupiter’s surface, known as the “Great Red Spot” has been observed by scientists and is undoubtedly the most famous characteristic on Jupiter’s surface. The Great Red Spot is around 14,000 km wide and is 40,000 km long, large enough to devour three Earths. (1) Although the Great Red Spot’s nature is not fully understood, it is believed that it is a spirling column of gas, similar to a hurricane. The Great Red spot is not alone on Jupiter, in 2005, a miniature red spot was formed, causing a disturbance of three large white oval clouds. According to Stars and Planets by Ian Ridpath and Wil Tirion, “the increased size of the merged ovals is thought to have created a sufficient disturbance to dredge up reddish material from deeper in the atmosphere.” This gave astronomers …show more content…
These long-term observations are useful to scientists observing Jupiter because it will help establish rotation rates of spots, and reveal any evidence of drift in Jupiter’s atmosphere.