astronomy

Super-Jupiter

Super-Jupiter is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Super-Jupiter rather than just read about it. In short: A super-Jupiter is a gas giant exoplanet that is more massive than the planet Jupiter. For example, companions at the planet–brown dwarf borderline have been called super-Jupiters, such as around the star Kappa Andromedae.

Key takeaways

Super-Jupiter belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Super-Jupiter to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Super-Jupiter from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A super-Jupiter is a gas giant exoplanet that is more massive than the planet Jupiter. For example, companions at the planet–brown dwarf borderline have been called super-Jupiters, such as around the star Kappa Andromedae.

Makeup By 2011 there were 180 known super-Jupiters, some hot, some cold. Even though they are more massive than Jupiter, they remain about the same size as Jupiter up to 80 Jupiter masses. This means that their surface gravity and density go up proportionally to their mass. The increased mass compresses the planet due to gravity, thus keeping it from being larger. In comparison, planets somewhat lighter than Jupiter can be larger, so-called "puffy planets" (gas giants with a large diameter but low density). An example of this may be the exoplanet HAT-P-1b with about half the mass of Jupiter but about 1.38 times larger diameter. High-mass super-Jupiters may lack the banded cloud structure of Jupiter and have a more chaotic surface. Super-Jupiters tend to have more eccentric orbits than smaller gas giants and may have formed from collisions between such gas giants.

CoRoT-3b CoRoT-3b, with a mass around 22 Jupiter masses, is thought to have an average density of 26.4 g/cm3, greater than osmium (22.6 g/cm3), the densest chemical element under standard conditions. The planet is likely composed mainly of hydrogen, but the extreme gravitational compression causes the high density. The surface gravity is also high, over 50 times that of Earth.

Kappa Andromedae b In 2012, the super-Jupiter Kappa Andromedae b was imaged around the star Kappa Andromedae, orbiting it about 1.8 times the distance at which Neptune orbits the Sun.

See also Extrasolar planet Ice giant Hot Jupiter Jupiter analogue Kepler-1704b List of planet types Sub-brown dwarf Super-Earth

References

External links

Brown dwarfs: Failed stars, super Jupiters (2008)

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Super-Jupiter

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Super-Jupiter claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Super-Jupiter before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Super-Jupiter ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Super-Jupiter

In research: Super-Jupiter appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Super-Jupiter in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Super-Jupiter is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Exoplanets, Giant planets, Types of planet, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Super-Jupiter outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Super-Jupiter in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Super-Jupiter means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Super-Jupiter out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Super-Jupiter in simple terms?

Why does Super-Jupiter matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Super-Jupiter?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Super-Jupiter.