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Jovian Planet Systems

Beyond the asteroid belt lies a realm of giant worlds—massive planets made mostly of gas and ice, each surrounded by intricate systems of moons and rings. These Jovian planets—Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune—dominate the outer solar system and reveal what happens when planets form far from the Sun. Their immense gravity shapes the paths of comets and asteroids, while their magnetic fields and swirling storms make them dynamic worlds in their own right.

Studying Jovian planetary systems helps astronomers understand how planets grow, why some become gas giants while others remain rocky, and how the moons and rings around them provide miniature versions of solar systems within our own.

Watch the Science Lesson

Recording posted 11/26/25!

A Jovian system is the kind of planetary system found around the giant planets of our solar system—Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. These planets are all large, low-density worlds made mostly of hydrogen, helium, or hydrogen-rich compounds, and each one is surrounded by an extensive family of moons, a ring system of dust and ice, and a powerful magnetosphere shaped by the planet’s rotation and internal structure.

Although Uranus and Neptune are often called “ice giants,” they still qualify as Jovian systems because they share the same overall architecture: a massive central planet accompanied by rings, dozens of moons, and complex magnetic environments.

Essentially, a Jovian system is a miniature solar system of its own, with the giant planet acting as a central anchor around which smaller bodies orbit.

Do the Assignments

Please download the Student Handout (use the button above) for specific homework and quiz questions assigned for this week.

Homework

Work through the assigned set of review questions, quantitative problems, and quiz questions. 

Space Podcast

Students choose a space-related podcast episode to listen to and write a short summary in their journal. 

Lab Project Activity

Astronomers rarely get to hold the objects they study. Instead, they learn about planets, moons, and spacecraft by carefully analyzing images, light, and data sent back from missions like Juno, Cassini, and Spitzer.

In this lab, you will step into the role of a planetary scientist. Using real images—including photographs of an actual rocket launch, Cassini’s close-up views of Saturn’s rings and moons, and space-based observations of giant ring structures—you will make measurements, calculate speeds and sizes, identify orbital patterns, and compare your results with known scientific values.

All five challenges in this lab share a common scientific skill: Using real data to measure something in the universe that cannot be measured directly. You will use rulers, scaling, ratios, orbital timing, physical equations, and geometric reasoning to extract real scientific information from each image—exactly how NASA scientists work with raw mission data.

Discovery Lab Project

Students will learn how radio astronomers detect Jupiter’s natural radio emissions using the RadioJOVE project. They will explore what radio data look like, how to read a dynamic spectrum, and how to tell the difference between background noise, interference, and a real Jovian burst.