Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and by far the largest in our Solar System. Here are some detailed facts about this gas giant:
Physical Characteristics
- Diameter: Approximately 86,881 miles (139,822 kilometers), making it 11 times the diameter of Earth.
- Mass: 318 times that of Earth, containing two and a half times the total mass of all the other planets in the Solar System combined.
- Volume: It could fit 1,321 Earths inside it.
- Composition: Jupiter is primarily composed of hydrogen (about 90%) and helium (about 10%), with trace amounts of methane, water vapor, ammonia, and other compounds.
- Atmosphere: Features include the Great Red Spot, a storm larger than Earth, and cloud bands of various colors.
Orbital and Rotational Characteristics
- Orbit: Jupiter orbits the Sun at an average distance of about 5.2 astronomical units (AU), or roughly 484 million miles (778 million kilometers).
- Rotation: Known for its fast rotation, Jupiter completes one rotation on its axis in just under 10 hours, leading to an oblate shape.
- Year Length: A year on Jupiter lasts about 11.86 Earth years.
Moons and Rings
- Moons: Jupiter has 79 known moons, with the four largest known as the Galilean moons (Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto), discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1610.
- Rings: Jupiter has a faint ring system, primarily composed of dust particles from its moons.
History and Exploration
- Discovery: Known since ancient times, Jupiter was named after the Roman god of the sky and thunder.
- Exploration: Several spacecraft have visited Jupiter:
- Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 in the 1970s, providing the first close-up images.
- Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 in the late 1970s, revealing more about its atmosphere and moons.
- Galileo, an orbiter that arrived in 1995, offering in-depth studies of Jupiter and its moons.
- Juno, which entered orbit in 2016, studying the planet's composition, gravity field, magnetic field, and polar magnetosphere.
Scientific Importance
- Jupiter serves as a model for understanding gas giants, their formation, and their role in the development of planetary systems.
- Its massive size and gravitational influence play a significant role in the dynamics of the Solar System.
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