What Are the Primary Gases that Make Up Jupiter?
What are the primary gases that make up Jupiter? Jupiter is referred to as a “gas giant”, meaning its composition consists of different gases and that it does not contain any form of solid surface throughout the entire makeup of the sphere. So, what are these gases that make up Jupiter?
The answers to what gases make up Jupiter differ depending on the part of the planet to which you are referring:
- Atmospheric Gases - Ammonia and Ammonium Hydrosulfide
- Gases Underneath the Surface - Helium, Methane, Hydrogen and Ammonium Hydrosulfide
Atmospheric Gases
Ammonia and ammonium hydrosulfide are the primary gases in the atmosphere of Jupiter. These gases create a vast sea of waves across the planet’s atmosphere, with swirls and wisps of white (ammonia) amongst waves and hurricane-like storm cells of light to deep orange (made up of the ammonium hydrosulfide).
The visible atmosphere that completely covers the actual planet shows these giant swirls and violent storms comprised of mixing gases that create dense clouds that move about the planet’s atmosphere. These gases are constantly shifting and mixing among themselves, creating the violent storms that have been pictured by passing satellite cameras and high-powered telescopes.
Gases Underneath the Surface
The visible atmosphere of Jupiter covers up the more complex makeup of the inward parts of the planet, such as the core. The primary gases at Jupiter's core include:
- Helium
- Methane
- Hydrogen
- Ammonium Hydrosulfide
These gases react with each other with more stability than those which comprise the outer atmosphere, which contains winds that reach up to over 1000 feet per second at the equator of the planet, and slow down to the point of near nonexistence at each of the two planetary polar points.
Great Red Spot
Perhaps one of the most mentionable of all of the different oddities that Jupiter contains is a spot referred to as “The Great Red Spot.” This planetary anomaly has been recorded in planetary research dating back over 300 years, and appears to be a storm system similar to what could be called a “super hurricane,” spinning violently around the circumference of the planet’s mid-southern hemisphere.
Of all of the hundreds of storms that are visible in Jupiter’s atmosphere, the Great Red Spot is different in that it contains a deeper, reddish hue. This is widely believed to be due to the storm’s violent nature, allowing it to pull different compounds from deeper within the planet’s composition. The color the storm is said to be caused by the reaction of the compounds within the storm when they come into contact with direct sunlight, though this has yet to be proven.
There is also a newly formed storm in Jupiter’s atmosphere that has gained a sort of “honorable mention” as a famous storm of Jupiter. It is scientifically named “Oval BA,” but is more commonly referred to as “Red Spot, Jr.” because of the storm’s miniature size when compared to the original Great Red Spot.