1. Malecki i
FREEPORT AREA SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
SARVER, PA
THESIS APPROVAL
Astrophysics and the Cosmos
We hereby approve the Thesis of:
Aaron Matthew Malecki
Candidate for the completion of the above mentioned course
Date Committee Member Field of Study
5/26/14 ______________________________ __Science____
Mr. Ryan Cooper
5/26/14 ______________________________ __Science____
Mr. Greg Adams
5/26/14 ______________________________ __English____
Mr. Gary Davies

2. Malecki ii
Dedication
Dedicated to the students of the first class of Freeport Area High School’s Astrophysics
and the Cosmos course and all those responsible for discovering the material we learned about.
______________________________
Aaron M. Malecki, Author

3. Malecki iii
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements for this paper go out to all whom publish their research and
discoveries for access to all, a commodity that without which this paper could not be written.
Acknowledgments also go out to all those who have helped in the completion and publishing of
this paper.

4. Malecki iv
Preface
This work is a direct product of the effort put forth by partaking in the first year of the
Astrophysics and the Cosmos semester long course at Freeport Area Senior High School. This
thesis is also the product of a continuous effort spanning over almost 18 weeks of research and
work. I, the author, would like to extend thanks to the sources of where the information within
this paper came from with a special thank you to the Cornell University Library and the
Astrophysics Journal archive without which this paper may have been near impossible. Special
consideration should also be taken into account when reading as this paper consists off almost no
original research and is merely a composition of research of others in order to make a
comparison between two heavenly bodies, Jupiter and GJ 504 b. I have gathered material from
various sources to comprise all of the information presented in this paper and any and all credit
goes to their respectful owner.

5. Malecki v
Abstract
Anyone who has taken any sort of introductory astronomy course in their life, from
elementary school to high school, knows about the largest planet in our solar system, Jupiter.
However, what they may not realize is that there are billions of planets just like it. Massive balls
of gas that can be tens of times larger than the Earth. These immense gas giants are exactly what
I will be studying in the following. To be even more specific I set out to see the differences
between Jupiter and the exoplanet GJ 504 b. GJ 504 b is a massive violet hued gas giant that
has perplexed astrophysicists since its first imaging in 2013. According to known models of how
and where gas giants form, this planet should never have formed. Therefore, the purpose of this
paper is to compare this special case of a planet to Jupiter, a well-known and thoroughly studied
planet that fits the perfect mold of just what exactly a gas giant is. All gas giants are the same
and yet at the same time they are completely different worlds with an endless amount of
differences. In this paper I look to see just what exactly these differences are, what the
similarities are, and hope to answer the questions of why or why not these two heavenly bodies
are or aren’t the same. Research on GJ 504 b is only in the incipient stages of its development
and is sure to grow. However, this paper looks to answer, now, with all the given facts and
information from various studies and resources released within the last year on GJ 504 b, what
this makes this planet so special, especially when compared to a planet so familiar to us. From
size and position to atmospheric conditions and how these planets may have formed, these two
gas giants are one in the same, but yet host so many strange and unique differences that it is
forcing astronomers to rethink what they know about how gas giants form.

6. Malecki vi
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 – Introduction
1.1 – Jovian Planetary System
1.2 – GJ 504 b and Its Parent Star
1.3 – Discovery of GJ 504 b and Its Significance
Chapter 2 – Physical Characteristics
2.1 – Appearance
2.2 – Moons
2.3 – Other Satellite Systems
Chapter 3 – Atmospheric Characteristics
3.1 – Chemical Makeup
3.2 – Meteorological Conditions
3.3 – Notable Anomalies
Chapter 4 – The Core and Inner Layers
4.1 – Under the Troposphere
4.2 – Further Down
4.3 - Core
Chapter 5 – Conclusion

7. Malecki vii
List of Tables
Chapter – 1
Table 1.1 – Properties of GJ 504 System, Page 4
Chapter – 2
Table 2.1 – Comparison of Jupiter’s Galilean Moons, Page 9

8. Malecki viii
List of Figures
Chapter 1
Figure 1.1 – Planet Mass/Time Accretion Model, Page 2
Figure 1.2 – Imaging of GJ 504 b by SEEDS Team, Page 5
Chapter 2
Figure 2.1 – Jovian Ring Systems, Page 11
Chapter 3
Figure 3.1 – Formation of a Jovian Planet, Page 17
Figure 3.2 – Jupiter’s Atmosphere, Page 18
Figure 3.3 – Wind Speeds on Jupiter by Latitudes, Page 21
Figure 3.4 – Cyclone Formation on Jupiter, Page 22
Figure 3.5 – Jupiter’s Magnetosphere, Page 26
Chapter 4
Figure 4.1 – Creation of Liquid Metallic Hydrogen, Page 29
Figure 4.2 – Layers of Jupiter, Page 32