The Helium Mass Fraction in Jupiter's Atmosphere
- 10 May 1996
- journal article
- other
- Published by American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Science
- Vol. 272 (5263) , 849-851
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.272.5263.849
Abstract
On 7 December 1995, the NASA Galileo probe provided in situ measurements of the helium abundance in the atmosphere of Jupiter. A Jamin interferometer measured the refractive index of the jovian atmosphere in the pressure region from 2 to 14 bars. These measurements indicate that the atmospheric helium mole fraction is 0.136 ± 0.004. The corresponding helium mass fraction is slightly below the presolar value, which suggests that separation of helium from hydrogen in Jupiter's interior is only in its early stages.Keywords
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