

There are three cloud layers in Jupiter’s atmosphere. The remaining fraction consists of small amounts of ammonia, methane, phosphorus, sulfur and water vapor. Jupiter: Jupiter’s atmosphere is 90% hydrogen by volume and almost 10% helium. Individual Jovian Planet Atmosphere Characteristics Methane, ammonia and water vapor are all common in varying proportions. In line with this fact, we may find hydrogen compounds of carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur in the bulk atmosphere of the jovian planets. Helium is inert (chemically un-reactive under normal circumstances) which means that atmospheric chemistry on jovian planets is dominated by hydrogen. (NB High temperature and solar winds mean that Mercury lacks a secondary atmosphere too.) Methane, Ammonia And Water Vapor Weaker gravity, higher temperatures resulting from closer proximity to the sun, and low molecular weight of hydrogen and helium, all made it much easier for the hydrogen and helium-rich primary atmosphere to escape from terrestrial planets. This has long been replaced in most cases by a secondary atmosphere formed from volcanic activity and comet impacts. Terrestrial planets would originally have had the same kind of primary atmosphere as jovian planets. Strong gravitational forces (caused by size) and low temperatures (resulting from distance from the sun) have enabled the jovian planets to retain the ‘primary atmosphere’ they acquired as they formed. This mirrors the original solar nebula which likely spawned our solar system.

Jovian planets are predominantly composed of hydrogen and helium, two of the lightest chemical elements. Atmospheric Composition On Jovian Planets Hydrogen And Helium The jovian planets are those furthest from the Sun, lying beyond the “frost line” in our solar system, a point around 750 million km from the Sun beyond which water generally remains solid ice, even in direct sunlight. The word “jovian” derives from an alternative name for Jupiter, the leading god of the classical Roman pantheon, after whom the planet Jupiter is named.Īs well as gaseous composition, the jovian planets are characterized by their massive size (Jupiter is around 11 times as big as Earth) and a correspondingly large gravitational pull which allows them to hold many moons in their orbits, as well as orbiting rings of dust, debris and ice. The Jovian planets are the four largest planets in our solar system, often referred to as “gas giants”.

What Are The Constituents Of Jovian Planet Surfaces?.Individual Jovian Planet Atmosphere Characteristics.Atmospheric Composition On Jovian Planets.
