The Astronomical Planet
Jupiter

With its numerous moons and several rings, the Jupiter system is a "mini-solar system." Jupiter is the most massive planet in our solar system, and in composition it resembles a small star. In fact, if Jupiter had been between fifty and one hundred times more massive, it would have become a star rather than a planet.

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Planetary Statistics of Jupiter
Chronology of Jupiter
Environment of Jupiter
Moons of Jupiter
Images and Information
The Astrological Planet Jupiter

Planetary Statistics of Jupiter:

Jupiter: Fifth Planet from the Sun
Diameter: 88,729 miles
Distance from the Sun: 483.6 million miles
Planetary Year: 11.862 Earth years to make one complete revolution around the Sun.
Planetary Day: 9.84 Earth hours to make one complete revolution on its axis.
Temperature: Mean; 120 K (-153 C, -244 F)
Moons: 63 known, 48 named; (Galilean Moons - Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto were discovered by Galileo. Metis, Adrastea, Amalthea, Thebe, Themisto, Leda, Himalia, Lysithea, Elara, Carme, Pasiphaë, Sinope, Euporie, Euanthe, Harpalyke, Praxidike, Orthosie, Iocaste, Ananke, Hermippe, Thyone, Arche, Pasithee, Kale, Chaldene, Isonoe, Eurydome, Erinome, Taygete, Kalyke, Aitne, Megaclite, Sponde, Callirrhoe, Autonoe, Eukelade, Helike, Aoede, Hegemone, Kallichore, Cyllene, Karpo, Mneme, Thelxinoe).

Chronology of Jupiter

On January 7, 1610, while sky gazing from his garden in Padua, Italy, astronomer Galileo Galilei was surprised to see four small "stars" near Jupiter. He had discovered Jupiter's four largest moons, now called Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. Collectively, these four moons are known today as the Galilean satellites.

Discovered in 1979 by NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft, Jupiter's rings were a surprise: a flattened main ring and an inner cloud-like ring, called the halo, are both composed of small, dark particles. A third ring is known as the gossamer ring because of its transparency. Jupiter's ring system may be formed by dust kicked up as interplanetary meteoroids smash into the giant planet's four small inner moons. The main ring probably comes from the tiny moon Metis.

In December 1995, NASA's Galileo spacecraft dropped a probe into Jupiter's atmosphere. Carrying six scientific instruments, the probe survived the crushing pressure and searing heat for nearly an hour. It collected the first direct measurements of Jupiter's atmosphere and the first real data about the chemistry of a gas planet. Following the release of the probe, the Galileo spacecraft began a multi-year orbit of Jupiter, to observe each of Jupiter's largest moons from close range.

In 2003 astronomers discovered 23 new moons orbiting the giant planet Jupiter.

Environment of Jupiter

At first glance, Jupiter appears striped. These stripes are dark belts and light zones created by strong east-west winds in Jupiter's upper atmosphere. Within these belts and zones are storm systems that have raged for years.

The southern hemisphere's Great Red Spot has existed for at least 100 years, and perhaps longer, as Galileo reported seeing a similar feature nearly 400 years ago. Three Earths could fit across the Great Red Spot.

Jupiter's core is probably not solid but a dense, hot liquid with a consistency like thick soup. The pressure inside Jupiter may be 30 million times greater than the pressure at Earth's surface.

As Jupiter rotates, a giant magnetic field is generated in its electrically conducting liquid interior. This magnetic field, or magnetosphere, encircles the planet from pole to pole. Trapped within Jupiter's magnetosphere are enough charged particles to make its inner portions the most deadly radiation environment of any of the planets, both for humans and for electronic equipment.

Jupiter's rings and moons are embedded in an intense radiation belt of electrons and ions trapped in the magnetic field. The Jovian magnetosphere, which comprises these particles and fields, extends more than one billion kilometers behind Jupiter creating a "tail" as the solar wind rushes past. This "tail" has been detected as far as Saturn's orbit.

Moons of Jupiter

Galileo would be astonished at what we have learned about Jupiter and its moons in the past 30 years.

Information Courtesy of NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory at Caltech

Images and Information

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