Page 15 - Curriculum Visions Dynamic Book

Jupiter is composed primarily of hydrogen and helium. Helium is an unreactive gas, and so most of the other elements present react only with hydrogen. Thus the gas clouds are compounds that include hydrogen, methane, ammonia, and water.
The reason why water is found is that the freezing point of water falls dramatically as pressure increases, and pressures in the Jovian atmosphere are far higher than on Earth.
With sulfur compounds helping colour the brown clouds, what tints the Great Red Spot? No one really knows. It may be due to phosphorus, to some organic compound, or just to a different compound of sulfur.
Jupiter’s magnetic field
In 1955 it was found that Jupiter sent out radio waves. This was the first time that a planet had been found to send out such radiation.
The emissions occur as bursts of great intensity, often more intense than emissions from the Sun.
Because radio waves and magnetism are closely related, the burst of radio energy is a sign that the planet has a magnetic field. For the emissions to be so powerful, the magnetic field must also be hugely powerful and actively moving, just as it is on Earth.
compound A substance made from two or more elements that have chemically combined.
condense To change state from a gas or vapor to a liquid.
element A substance that cannot be decomposed into simpler substances by chemical means.
emission Something that is sent or let out.
hurricane A very violent cyclone that begins close to the equator, and that contains winds of over 117 km/hr.
magnetic field The region of influence of a magnetic body.
magnetism An invisible force that has the property of attracting iron and similar metals.
magnetosphere A region in the upper atmosphere, or around a planet, where magnetic phenomena such as auroras are found.
pressure The force per unit area.
radiation The transfer of energy in the form of waves (such as light and heat) or particles (such as from radioactive decay of a material).
radio waves A form of electromagnetic radiation, like light and heat.
 A vast maGnetosphere of charged particles whirls around Jupiter.
The black circle shows the size of Jupiter, the lines indicate Jupiter’s magnetic field, and there is also
a cross section of the Io ring of charged particles that originate from volcanic eruptions on Jupiter’s moon Io and circle Jupiter at about the orbit of Io.
Jupiter’s magnetosphere is the largest object in the solar system. If it glowed at wavelengths visible to the eye, it would appear two to three times the size of the Sun or Moon to viewers on Earth.
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