Despite the fact that today mankind has learned to look deep into space, trying to find life in distant clusters of stars, our own solar system remains a little-studied place. One of the most mysterious planets of our system is considered to be Jupiter. Rings, satellites, spots - all this is possessed by this huge planet, for which more than one research satellite was launched.
general information
Jupiter is located in fifth place from the Sun, revolving around the star in an orbit running between the orbits of Mars and Saturn. It is not in vain that this planet is considered the largest in our system - its volume is comparable with the size of 1300 such "balls" as the Earth. The attraction on Jupiter is two and a half times stronger than usual for us. Thus, a person weighing 100 kilograms, when moving to Jupiter, will see the number 250 on the scales. The weight of the giant planet itself is 317 times more than the Earth. In addition, its weight is two and a half times greater than the total weight of all the other planets of our stellar system.
The planet received its name in ancient times - it was named after the main ancient Roman god.
Despite its incredible size, Jupiter (whose rings do not make it unique - many planets have them) is the fastest planet in the solar system. A complete revolution around the axis takes only 10 hours. This speed is due to strong radiation and the magnetic field of the planet. At the same time, in order to complete the rotation around the luminary, the giant takes 12 earth years.
Jupiter for many years was considered a gas giant, but not so long ago, scientists have established that it does not completely consist of hydrogen and helium - this is only the atmosphere of the planet. Jupiter itself consists of a liquid metal core covered with a huge layer of metallic hydrogen. It covers the ocean of liquid hydrogen. What appears to us to be the surface of a giant in the pictures is actually just the top of the clouds. Bright spots are clouds from ammonia, dark spots from ammonium hydrosulfide.
Rings
The existence of rings was discovered in 1979 by a Voyager 1 flying near the planet. At the moment, three components are identified that make up this natural phenomenon. The rings of Jupiter and Saturn have much in common, although they differ in the main points. So, for example, the layers surrounding the giant do not have ice particles in their composition. It is believed that the most important of the rings is formed as a result of a collision of planet satellites with meteorites. Previously it was believed that there were only three rings, but recent observations have led to the conclusion that there is another, previously unnoticed, ring very close to the surface of the planet.
Satellites
The planet Jupiter, whose rings amazed scientists, has an amazing feature: a huge number of satellites. In total, there are currently 63 units. However, the vast majority of them are very small - less than 10 kilometers in diameter. They make scientists believe that so far not all satellites have been discovered. It has been suggested that in reality there may be more than a hundred. Relatively large, only four were identified: Ganymede, Io, Callisto and Europe - they were discovered by Galileo Galilei. The largest - Ganymede - reaches 5262 km in diameter - larger than Mercury. This satellite is completely covered with ice crust, it makes a revolution around the giant in 7 days. Io is one of the most mysterious objects - volcanoes constantly erupt on this satellite, lava lakes arise. It has mountains up to 16 km high. Io is much closer to Jupiter than our satellite to Earth, which is also a mystery to scientists.
Spot
As early as 1665, Jupiter, whose rings had not yet been discovered, surprised observers with a strange large spot on its surface. It was like a huge anticyclone - a hundred years ago its length was more than 40 thousand kilometers. Today this number has halved. In our galaxy, this hurricane is considered the largest atmospheric phenomenon. Three planets like ours could be placed on its surface. A hurricane spins at a tremendous speed of 435 km / h, and not in the direction in which this happens in all other cases.
Observation
With a telescope and good binoculars in the night sky, it’s easy to spot Jupiter. Of course, it is impossible to make out its rings in this way, however, it is quite realistic to see the planet’s white disk and even its moons. By brightness it is the third object in the sky - after the Moon and Venus. Even the brightest star Sirius fades before the splendor of a giant planet.
A magnetic field
How many rings Jupiter has is not the most interesting fact. In addition, the power of the magnetic field of this planet is amazing. This is the highest figure in our galaxy. The magnetic field of Jupiter exceeds the corresponding indicator of the Earth by 14 times. Leading astronomers believe that such power is achieved due to the constant movement of metallic hydrogen in the bowels of the planet. This enables Jupiter to be an incredibly powerful source of radiation, capable of, if not destroying, then causing significant damage to any satellite sent from Earth. However, not only radiation can damage any artificial body, but the ring around Jupiter can seriously damage the body of these objects.
The magnetic field is associated with the solar wind, forming a magnetosphere. The main shock wave is removed at about 70 radii of the giant. Depending on the state of the wind, the wave can be at a distance of up to 100 radii. Magnetopause is approximately 50 radii away. Inside it, particles under the influence of a magnetic field rotate with the planet.
The study
Jupiter, whose rings were discovered not so long ago, seriously interested scientists. The very first satellite that was sent to study this planet was Pioneer 10. During this time, eight space satellites were involved in the study of the giant. In 2011, Juno launched from Earth, which, after arriving at the end of 2016, should help scientists unravel some of the secrets of the largest planet in the solar system.
Studying other planets, experts hope to meet life. Perhaps a hint of her. At least something that would prove that we are not alone in the universe. However, it is unlikely that a giant planet in our own stellar system will be able to give us a surprise. Scientists believe that life on Jupiter is almost impossible due to the low content of water vapor in and around the planet. In the 70s, it was suggested that life could occur in the upper atmosphere, but no confirmation of this ghostly possibility was found. The likelihood of carbon-carbon life is extremely low, since clouds contain a small amount of water.