AST201H1 Chapter 11: Chapter 11 ASTRO.docx
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AST201H1 Full Course Notes
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All 4 jovian planets share the properties of immense size and a low density composition of hydrogen, helium and hydrogen compounds. Jupiter and saturn are made almost entirely of hydrogen and helium with only a few percent of their masses in the form of hydrogen compounds and even less in the form of rock and metal. Composition similar to sun rather than terrestrial planets. Uranus and neptune are made primarily of hydrogen compounds such as water, methane, and ammonia and with smaller amounts of metal and rock. Jovian planets formed in the outer solar system, where it was cold enough for hydrogen compounds to condense into ices. Some the ice rich planetesimals grew to great size due to the abundance of hydrogen compounds. Neptune"s high density is due to the icy rich planetesimals it formed from. Astronauts use the movement of clouds to determine the rotational period of a jovian planet.