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  • Essay / Jupiter and Saturn - 1575

    Our solar system consists of eight planets, which can be separated into two categories. Those residing within the asteroid belt called the "Inner Solar System", namely Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars, designated the terrestrial or rocky planets while those orbiting beyond the belt of asteroids, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune classified as "Jovian planets", constitute the "outer solar system". The term Jovian is derived from Jupiter, which describes the three remaining planets as Jupiter-like. Unlike the inner terrestrial planets, the Jovian worlds are composed of gases, mainly hydrogen and helium, and therefore have no solid surface. These are the four largest planets in our solar system, if not in mass, at least in diameter, with Jupiter having the status of giant among giants by acquiring more than twice the mass of all the other planets in the solar system combined. Just using Earth for comparison, Jupiter's mass is over three hundred times greater. These planets became so massive because they were able to incorporate enormous quantities of volatile substances, gases, during their formation; with some hypotheses suggesting that they may also have been the first planets in our solar system to evolve. Therefore, to explore the nature and formation of these categories of planets, we need to return to the primordial solar nebula to check the available materials and environmental conditions. necessary for their possible development. Based on numerous observations and studies, it now appears certain that stars comparable to our Sun were formed at the center of dense, cold molecular clouds. Composed primarily of hydrogen, helium, and small amounts of heavier gases and dust; the residue of minerals and elements left behind by explosions of... middle of paper ...... specific nature of Jupiter's interior and structure. It will be able to peer beneath observable cloud layers for the first time and collect data relating to atmospheric composition, temperature and movement at unprecedented depths. Juno will also sample and monitor the planet's immense magnetosphere, with particular attention paid to its relationship to the large level of metallic hydrogen beneath its surface. Most importantly for theories about how the Jovian atmosphere formed planets, it will attempt to clarify whether or not Jupiter has a solid core and if so, its composition. Otherwise, it could profoundly shake up theories about the role planetesimals play in planet formation and possibly infer that the Jovian planets instead evolved from gravitational collapse. in unstable regions of the protoplanetary disk or a completely new explanation for their formation..