Question

What is the difference between the two ice giants, Uranus and Neptune, and the two gas giants, Jupiter and Saturn? Select all that apply.

a. Gas giants are noticeably nonspherical, their oblatenesses are more than 0.06. Ice giants are closer to a spherical shape, with oblatenesses about 0.02 .
b. Gas gaints have mass of about 100 Earth masses. Ice gaints have masses of about 15 Earth masses.
c. Gas giants are surrounded by multiple moons and ring systems. Ice giants have a few moons and no rings, like Terrestrial planets.
d. Average densities of gas giants are less than 1 gram per cubic centimeter. Ice giants are much denser, with average densities more than 2 grams per cubic centimeter.
e. Gas giants consist primarily of hydrogen. Ice giants includes a wide layer of methane–ammonia–water ice.

Answer 1

Gas giants, composed mostly of hydrogen and helium, are much more massive and less dense than ice giants, which have higher densities and are composed of a rocky core surrounded by a thick mantle of ice. Gas giants, like Jupiter and Saturn, have multiple moons and rings, while ice giants, like Uranus and Neptune, have fewer moons and less pronounced ring systems.

Step-by-step explanation:

Differences Between Ice Giants and Gas Giants

The main differences between the planets Uranus and Neptune (ice giants) and Jupiter and Saturn (gas giants) are their composition, appearance, and physical characteristics.

Uranus and Neptune have a rocky core surrounded by a thick mantle of ice, including water, ammonia, and methane, hence their categorization as ice giants.

In contrast, Jupiter and Saturn are primarily composed of hydrogen and helium, earning them the label of gas giants.

Furthermore, gas giants are much larger in mass and exhibit pronounced oblateness due to their rapid rotation, which causes them to have a bulging appearance at the equator. On the other hand, ice giants have a higher average density and are less oblate.

Uranus and Neptune have lower masses, approximately 15 Earth masses, and have high densities, 1.3 g/cm³, and 1.6 g/cm³, respectively.

Meanwhile, gas giants like Jupiter are about 318 times more massive than Earth, and Saturn is roughly 95 times Earth's mass.

Both gas giants, particularly Jupiter, have strong magnetic fields, multiple moons, and prominent ring systems, while the ice giants have fewer moons and less spectacular ring systems.

These distinctive features between the ice giants and gas giants illustrate the diversity of planetary types within our solar system and the various conditions under which these planets have formed and evolved.