Why Do Two Things Stand Out About Jupiter's Rotation?
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Jupiter –
Rotation
Two things stand out about Jupiter’s rotation is the speed and the components that are in rotation. At just under 10 hours, Jupiter has the shortest rotational period in the Solar System. (Saturn is a close second at 10.7 hours.) This quick rotational speed causes the planet to bulge near its equator, making it less spherical than most of the other planets. The second unique characteristic is that Jupiter has different parts within the rotation, each at different speeds. This is due to Jupiter not being a solid body and instead consisting of different gases (mostly Hydrogen and Helium). For example, the polar atmospheres rotate about 5 minutes more slowly than that found at the equator. The difference in the appearance…show more content… It is so large that three Earths could fit inside it. The reason for the variety of colors is convection of the atmosphere’s gases. The light colored bands, called "zones," are the rising areas, while the dark colored regions, or "belts," are the sinking gas. Scientists believe these bands consist of layers of high and low pressure. As a result, storms often develop on the boundaries between two adjacent bands. The Great Red Spot, visible in Jupiter’s southern hemisphere, is an example of how these storms form.
Saturn –
Saturn is the least dense planet in the Solar System
Saturn has a density of 0.687 grams/cubic centimeter. Just for comparison, water is 1 g/cm3 and the Earth is 5.52. Since Saturn is less dense than water, it would actually float like a lemon in a bucket of water.
Saturn is a flattened ball
Saturn spins so quickly on its axis that the planet flattens itself out into an oblate spheroid. This is caused from its rapid spinning that is essentially squishing it and causing the equator to bulge out. Determining the rotation speed of Saturn was actually very difficult to do, because the planet doesn’t have a solid surface. Unlike Mercury, you can’t just watch to see how long it takes for a specific crater to rotate back into view; astronomers needed to come up with a clever solution: the magnetic