Summary of Key Ideas

Jupiter and Saturn

Uranus and Neptune

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WHAT DID YOU THINK?

  • Is Jupiter a “failed star”? Why or why not? No. Jupiter has 75 times too little mass to shine as a star.
  • What is Jupiter’s Great Red Spot? The Great Red Spot is a long-lived, oval cloud circulation, similar to a hurricane or typhoon on Earth.
  • Does Jupiter have continents and oceans? No. Jupiter is surrounded by a thick atmosphere primarily composed of hydrogen and helium that gradually becomes liquid as you move inward. The only solid matter in Jupiter is its core.
  • Is Saturn the only planet with rings? No. All four giant planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune) have rings.
  • Are the rings of Saturn solid ribbons? No. Saturn’s rings are all composed of thin, closely spaced ringlets consisting of particles of ice and ice-coated rocks. If they were solid ribbons, Saturn’s gravitational tidal force would tear them apart.