This little known - image of a meandering squiggle of high-altitude clouds on Saturn was captured by Cassini spacecraft on July 18, 2010. Credit: NASA, JPL,CCaltech, SSI, JP MajorLiCHtsLiCH t1_ix36fym wrote
It just dawned on me, we have 4 gas giants in our solar system. Most of the inner planets have relatively transparent atmospheres, and terrain that takes millions of years to really ... move around/change. A gas giant by comparison, is moving around and changing every hour of everyday in the range of thousands of miles. If you think of it in terms of entertainment value, mars is basically an aquarium with some rocks in it, a gas giant is basicaly a lava lamp...
LaunchTransient t1_ix38iwa wrote
>we have 4 gas giants in our solar system
Actually only 2, Jupiter and Saturn. Neptune and Uranus are classified as Ice giants because their atmosphere contains a large amount of materials such as water, ammonia and methane (any substances heavier than helium and hydrogen but lighter than metals and metalloids are considered ices in Planetary science).
There are 4 giant planets, but only 2 are gas giants.
thalassicus t1_ix6iuon wrote
Nitrogen in the atmosphere iis considered ice?
LaunchTransient t1_ix7w5h4 wrote
Under planetology terms, yes.
WillTFB t1_ix4u631 wrote
Rather pedantic don't you think?
Perpetual_bored t1_ix62vsb wrote
It’s a science sub. Every comment must have at least one hole poked in it.
[deleted] t1_ix5xifs wrote
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