Earth Sciences 1086F/G Study Guide - Silicate Minerals, Solar Wind, Impact Crater
23 Apr 2014
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Document Summary
The gas giants are sometimes known as the jovian planets (after jupiter, the largest) or the ice giants. The definition of a gas giant planet is: A large, low-density planet composed primarily of hydrogen, helium, methane, and ammonia in either gaseous or liquid state. The four gas giants in the solar system are: jupiter, saturn, uranus, and neptune. All have atmospheres of hydrogen and helium, with more hydrogen than helium. All have cores that are sometimes called rocky but are a mix of heavy elements in a solid state. All are surrounded by systems of rings and natural satellites. All rotate rapidly, resulting in strong atmospheric winds that produce cloud bands that parallel their equators jupiter rotates fastest, and thus, has the most prominent bands. The outermost atmospheres of all four planets consist of molecular hydrogen and (less) helium (i. e. , actual gas state)
