Astronomy – Jupiter and Saturn

Astronomy Jupiter and Saturn are fascinating but there is some basic information to know about both planets first. They are two very large planets in the solar system. Jupiter is a planet of the solar system that is nearly as large as our own planet Earth. It consists of many moons that orbit around it. Some moons are highly elliptical, some have eccentric rotations, and some circular bands. The largest moon in the solar system by far is called Ganymede.

It is Jupiter that is responsible for making the planet Saturn. This massive planet is composed of mainly hydrogen and helium. The inner core is made of solid hydrogen. This giant planet also has solid hydrogen balloons, rings, and ice clouds at its outer space borders.

As you can see from the discussion above, Jupiter and Saturn are closely related. They share similarities in composition, orbit periods, and surface areas. There are other planets in the solar system that are much closer to both planets than Jupiter and Saturn. These distant planets include Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and comets.

Now let’s consider how these two planetary objects formed from a vast cloud of gas and dust, how they became so near each other, and where they will go in the future in our solar system. Jupiter and Saturn are really too small and very crowded in our solar system to have originated from separate parts of a gas cloud. They are too close, and their mutual attraction will bring them together. They will collide and completely destroy one another, vaporizing their outer space environment, but leaving behind many scientific study questions.

The main question that scientists want answered is “how did the gases get such close to each other?”. The answer is clouds. Cloud cover can explain why Jupiter and Saturn are so close together, but it cannot explain how the other planets got here. Clouds can be made from ammonia, carbon dioxide, and even water vapor. The actual composition of the space environment, composed of gases, clouds, and rocks, must be much more significant than what astronomers can see with the unaided eye.

There are several theories about how gases form in our solar system and in other outer space environments. Although astronomers are still uncertain of the exact composition, many theories have been testently verified and expanded over the years. For example, many studies have found a strong correlation between composition and the abundance of gas in surrounding areas. Evidence for this comes from the study of meteorites, which show that the composition of these space rocks vary significantly depending on where they originate, and where they eventually fall to Earth.