Lyceum B - Astronomy - Week 27 - Jupiter
- May 11, 2022
- 2 min read
Project - Demonstrate how centrifugal force affects Jupiter
Need wooden skewers, drinking straw cut into 2 sections each 1 inch long, 20 - 30 strips of colored paper, each measuring 12 in x 1/2 inch
At each end of the skewer, slide on a short section of straw.
Use tape to secure the ends of the strips of colored paper to each of the straw sections, so that you can move the colored paper up and down the skewer by way of the two straw sections. The straw ends will have to move freely.
Cover the taped sections of straw with a strip of paper.
Put a blob of plastic putty on one end of the skewer to act as a weight.
Tie a rubber band to the opposite end of the skewer with some plastic putty to hold it in place. Tie the free end of the rubber band to a pencil or pen. You will hold the pencil.
Hold the whole thing by the pencil and twist it until the rubber band is completely wound up. Do not bend or crease the strips of colored paper in the process. The bands of colored paper will be our planet “Jupiter”.
Let go and watch how “Jupiter’s” equator bulges as the “planet” spins around very fast.
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From How the Universe Works:
All of the planets are immersed in the Sun’s huge magnetic field. Jupiter also has a strong magnetic field, which forms a large “bubble” around it. This bubble is invisible, but spacecraft have measured its extent and force.
Experiment
Need a cardboard box, a magnet, a directional compass
Make a hole in one side of the box and push a pencil through so that it stands up. Rub a nail with the magnet and then attach the magnetized nail to the top of the pencil with putty.
Move a compass from the corner of the box toward the nail until the needle shakes. Mark this spot on the box. Repeat moving all around the nail.
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From How the Universe Works:
Jupiter has violent winds and huge storm patterns. The spots we see on the surface are giant eddies lying between streams of gas moving at different speeds. They can alter in size and shape, and sometimes they spin around the planet faster than the planet is actually spinning. Some even alter in color. The Great Red Spot, the largest storm on the planet was brick red when it was discovered in 1664, but is now much paler.
Experiment - Recreating What Jupiter Storms Look Like
Need yellow food coloring , red food coloring, a clear glass bowl, whole milk and dishwashing liquid
Pour a cup of milk into bowl. Add 1 drop of both food colors to milk. Gently spin the bowl around to get the milk moving in a circular direction.
Now place one drop of dishwashing liquid on top of each drop of food color. Continue to spin the bowl gently.
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Videos:
Introduction to Astronomy: Crash Course Astronomy #17
Jupiter’s Moons - 10:29 min
Professor Dave Explains
Mars: The Red Planet - 5:19 min
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