Here are key facts about Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system:
- Jupiter is a gas giant primarily composed of hydrogen and helium. It has a diameter of about 142,984 km (11 times that of Earth) and a mass 318 times that of Earth, making it more massive than all the other planets combined.
- It orbits the Sun at an average distance of about 778 million km (5.2 AU) with an orbital period (year) of about 11.86 Earth years. Its day is the shortest in the solar system, lasting about 9.9 hours.
- Jupiter's atmosphere is famous for its distinctive bands of clouds and the Great Red Spot, a gigantic storm larger than Earth that has persisted for at least 150 years.
- The planet has a strong magnetic field and a vast magnetosphere which generates intense radiation belts. Its aurorae near the poles are incredibly powerful, far surpassing Earth’s Northern Lights.
- Beneath its thick atmosphere, Jupiter likely has a core of rock and metal surrounded by layers of compressed hydrogen in liquid and metallic forms.
- Jupiter has at least 95 moons, including Ganymede, the largest moon in the solar system, which is even bigger than the planet Mercury.
- It also has a faint ring system made mostly of dust particles from impacts on its smaller moons.
- Jupiter emits more heat than it receives from the Sun, caused by slow gravitational compression within its interior, and shrinks slightly each year.
- Ancient civilizations observed Jupiter. It is named after the chief Roman god Jupiter and has been observed with the naked eye since prehistoric times.
- Despite its grandeur, Jupiter’s environment is likely inhospitable for life as known on Earth, though some of its moons (Europa, for example) may hold potential for life beneath their icy crusts.
These facts highlight Jupiter’s status as the giant and one of the most remarkable bodies in the Solar System.
