What is the height of Jupiter's atmsophere?

[seriously disabled]

I know that Jupiter doesn't have a solid surface only a layer of hot and dense metallic hydrogen surrouding it's core but measuring from there what is the height of Jupiter's atmosphere? Is it less than 800 km?

Edited August 27, 2010 by Uri

[StringJunky]

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmosphere_of_Jupiter

 

Check out the section on vertical structure.

[Moontanman]

I'm not sure you can say Jupiter's atmosphere has a height in the same way Earth's does, I'm not sure how you would measure it.... From the same link as above

 

Jupiter does not have a solid surface, and the lowest atmospheric layer, the troposphere, smoothly transitions into the planet's fluid interior.[2] This is a result of having temperatures and the pressures well above those of the critical points for hydrogen and helium, meaning that there is no sharp boundary between gas and liquid phases.[2]

[MRlogic]

I know that Jupiter doesn't have a solid surface only a layer of hot and dense metallic hydrogen surrouding it's core but measuring from there what is the height of Jupiter's atmosphere? Is it less than 800 km?

 

 

actually jupitar does have a solid surface its just small ,only 2/3 the size of the world

[insane_alien]

MRlogic, care to back up that claim?

 

i don't think we have data to support that.

[Ophiolite]

actually jupitar does have a solid surface its just small ,only 2/3 the size of the world

Since Jupiter is thought to have a rocky core of approximately five to ten Earth masses, how do you account for this being only 2/3 of the terrestrial diameter?

[MRlogic]

Since Jupiter is thought to have a rocky core of approximately five to ten Earth masses, how do you account for this being only 2/3 of the terrestrial diameter?

 

 

its core itself is around 2/3

[Ophiolite]

its core itself is around 2/3

In what way is a restatement of the challenged statement an explantion?

1. Current thinking is that the core has a mass of from 5 to then Earth masses. I ask again, how do you fit 5 to 10 Earth masses into a sphere 2/3 the size of the Earth. Despite the high pressures and the consequent high density mineralogy this just isn't possible. If you maintain it is, please provide references that support this claim.

2. Your definitive statement of 2/3 diameter is questionable purely on the basis that you make it so definitive. Original thoughts on core size postulated thirty Earth masses or more. Improved understanding of the equations of state for the principal components in Jupiter have steadily decreased this number. Some extant models require no core at all, so your claim that it is 2/3 the diameter of the Earth seems frivolous.

[MRlogic]

In what way is a restatement of the challenged statement an explantion?

1. Current thinking is that the core has a mass of from 5 to then Earth masses. I ask again, how do you fit 5 to 10 Earth masses into a sphere 2/3 the size of the Earth. Despite the high pressures and the consequent high density mineralogy this just isn't possible. If you maintain it is, please provide references that support this claim.

2. Your definitive statement of 2/3 diameter is questionable purely on the basis that you make it so definitive. Original thoughts on core size postulated thirty Earth masses or more. Improved understanding of the equations of state for the principal components in Jupiter have steadily decreased this number. Some extant models require no core at all, so your claim that it is 2/3 the diameter of the Earth seems frivolous.

 

 

do you mean that the solid surface is 5 to 10 earth masses because that solid surface has an inner core

[Ophiolite]

do you mean that the solid surface is 5 to 10 earth masses because that solid surface has an inner core

A surface cannot have mass, so I do not quite understand what you are trying to say.

 

I am saying that the core of Jupiter is generally thought to have a mass somewhere between five and ten times that of the Earth. This core is thought to be rocky and surrounded by a very deep zone of metallic hydrogen. As I have noted earlier some models for Jupiter's interior do not require the presence of any core. Since the current explanation for the formation of Jupiter requires gas accretion around a massive core this would require some mechanism by which the core material became disseminated in the metallic hydrogen after Jupiter formed, or we would need to rewrite the book on how it formed. The simplest conclusion, until and unless conflciting evidence emerges, is to accept a 5-10 x Earth mass core. On that basis I do not understand how you claim a core 2/3 the diameter of the Earth. I am asking you to justify that claim, which I believe to be erroneous for the reasons noted.

[MRlogic]

A surface cannot have mass, so I do not quite understand what you are trying to say.

 

I am saying that the core of Jupiter is generally thought to have a mass somewhere between five and ten times that of the Earth. This core is thought to be rocky and surrounded by a very deep zone of metallic hydrogen. As I have noted earlier some models for Jupiter's interior do not require the presence of any core. Since the current explanation for the formation of Jupiter requires gas accretion around a massive core this would require some mechanism by which the core material became disseminated in the metallic hydrogen after Jupiter formed, or we would need to rewrite the book on how it formed. The simplest conclusion, until and unless conflciting evidence emerges, is to accept a 5-10 x Earth mass core. On that basis I do not understand how you claim a core 2/3 the diameter of the Earth. I am asking you to justify that claim, which I believe to be erroneous for the reasons noted.

 

 

ok lets start over, how do we even no how big jupitors surface is. we have never been there

[Ophiolite]

As has been pointed out, I think, by an earlier poster, Jupiter does not have a true surface in the sense that the Earth has a surface.

 

You say we have never been to Jupiter: are you then dismissing two Pioneer probes, two Voyager probes, Galileo, Ulysses and Cassini-Huygens? Moreover we do not need to visit Jupiter to determine its size, nor many details about its composition.

 

Now will you please have the courtesy to state where your figure of 2/3 came from?

[MRlogic]

As has been pointed out, I think, by an earlier poster, Jupiter does not have a true surface in the sense that the Earth has a surface.

 

You say we have never been to Jupiter: are you then dismissing two Pioneer probes, two Voyager probes, Galileo, Ulysses and Cassini-Huygens? Moreover we do not need to visit Jupiter to determine its size, nor many details about its composition.

 

Now will you please have the courtesy to state where your figure of 2/3 came from?

 

 

probes can only make speculation, unless they have actualy manualy measured the surface

[Ophiolite]

IF you wish this dialogue to continue I suggest you start participating in it. For the last time, where did you derive your figure of 2/3 from? You continue to refuse to answer this question and instead you ask new questions each time. I have patiently answered each of these and instead of acknowledging these answers you respond with a disconnected observation. Your behaviour has been discourteous throughtout. I trust that will change now.

[granpa]

http://ircamera.as.arizona.edu/NatSci102/NatSci102/lectures/jupiter.htm#internalenergy

http://www.windows2universe.org/jupiter/interior/J_int_motions_overview.html

Edited September 23, 2010 by granpa

[Ophiolite]

Very nice illustrations. Unfortunately the linked website provides no indication of which model has been used as the basis for the dimensions of each zone. I note that the radii of Jupiter's core is shown to be approximately 1/3 more than the Earth. Even at Earth densities this would allow for a mass about 2 1/2 times that of the Earth.