Exploratour - Life in the Solar System

This is a drawing of the Galileo probe exploring the environment of Jupiter.
Click on image for full size
Image from: The Jet Propulsion Laboratory

You may also want to read more about the effects of ultraviolet light, or light in general

Or read the Exploratour Seeing the World in a Different Light, for a discussion of light in general<

As we move out in the solar system, the planets get colder, and higher temperatures begin to be found deeper into the interior of the planet where, the pressure of overlying material becomes immense.

Jupiter's atmospheric environment is one of powerful winds, going 250 miles per hour, and temperatures from -270 degrees to +32 degrees (freezing temperature). These winds make it hard for lifeforms to have "peace and quiet".

The region where it is 32 degrees sounds OK if you had a coat, but if it got to be -200 degrees, you'd be pretty cold!

The air of Jupiter is made of ammonia, sulfur, and water.

Overall, this environment sounds very unfriendly to life as we know it on earth.

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Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part is sponsored in part through grants from federal agencies (NASA and NOAA), and partnerships with affiliated organizations, including the American Geophysical Union, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Earth System Information Partnership, the American Meteorological Society, the National Center for Science Education, and TERC. The American Geophysical Union and the American Geosciences Institute are Windows to the Universe Founding Partners. NESTA welcomes new Institutional Affiliates in support of our ongoing programs, as well as collaborations on new projects. Contact NESTA for more information. NASA ESIP NCSE HHMI AGU AGI AMS NOAA