Lecture 38: The Ice Giants - Uranus and Neptune

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Astronomy 161 - Introduction to Solar System Astronomy - Autumn 2007

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The Ice Giants Uranus and Neptune are the outermost major planets of our Solar System. Internally they small rocky cores surrounded by deep, slushy ice mantles and shallow hydrogen atmospheres, quite unlike the massive cores and deep metallic hydrogen mantles of Jupiter and Saturn. This lecture describes their basic properties: the origin of their vivid blue/green colors, their composition, structure, and weather. At the end we'll contrast and compare their properties to those of the Gas Giants. Recorded 2007 Nov 15 in 1000 McPherson Lab on the Columbus campus of The Ohio State University.