Jupiter, the biggest planet in our solar system, is also the fastest spinning planet. Here are interesting facts about planet Jupiter that will enrich you with all the necessary knowledge.
Madhura Pandit
Jupiter is one of the most colorful and beautiful planets in the solar system. It is also the largest planet known in the solar system. Do you know that Jupiter rotates in only 10 hours, while its revolution takes a considerable time, i.e. 12 years?
This means a single day on Jupiter lasts only for 10 hours, but a year can comprise many 'years'! Here are interesting facts about planet Jupiter, about its size, structure, and characteristics.
Jupiter Planet Facts
Galileo is believed to be the first person to view and discover Jupiter. However, the exact date of the discovery is unknown.
The size of Jupiter is so huge that more than 1000 Earths could easily fit inside 1 Jupiter.
It is characterized by huge hurricanes, winds, jet streams, and storms. A huge ocean of liquid hydrogen is found at the core of Jupiter.
On taking a closer look at the planet, you will find a red spot which is actually a giant storm that has been going for around 300 years.
Did you know that no solid surface is found on the planet? Jupiter is termed as a gas-giant planet. The atmosphere here gets converted into ocean after a specific duration of time, and hence, no solid surface is found.
There are no seasons found on this planet because it is not tilted like the Earth.
This planet has an extraordinarily strong magnetic field. It is more than 20,000 times powerful than that of Earth.
Jupiter has a great gravity due to its great size. It is said that the gravitational force of this planet is so massive that most of its moons are known to be acquired rather than being formed naturally.
The topic of moons of Jupiter has always been a subject of interest all over the world. Ganymede is the largest one, while Io is the smallest satellite or moon of Jupiter. The four largest moons, Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto are known as Galilean satellites as they were discovered by Galileo.
Well, the exact number of moons of Jupiter is 50. Adrastea, Amalthea, Carme, Callisto, Europa, Elara, Ganymede, Himalia, Leda, Lysithea, Metis, Pasiphae, Sinope, Thebe, W1302, W1700, W1704, W1704_2, W1800, W1903_s, W1805, W1902, W1904, W2002_2, and W1700_2 are names of some of these moons.
Jupiter has a characteristic ring system, formed from the debris of other planetary objects. Halo and Gossamer Ring are its major rings.
A person tends to weigh more on Jupiter than on Earth. This is because the gravitational force on Jupiter is higher than that of Earth.
Jupiter and some of its stars can be viewed from the Earth through the naked eye. It is one of the brightest points seen in the sky.
Interestingly, Jupiter has been visited by spacecrafts for numerous times since 1973, by NASA's spacecrafts, viz., Pioneer, Voyager, Ulysses, Cassini, New Horizons, etc.
Quick Facts
Average distance from Sun - 778,570,000 km
Diameter - 142,984 km
Mass - 1.900 x 1027 kg
Density - 1.33 g/cm3
Volume - 1.377 x 1015 km3
Atmospheric composition - Hydrogen and Helium
Astronomy is definitely one of the most interesting subjects to study. A visit to a planetarium to learn new things about the universe and the planetary system is sure to be a fascinating project. I am sure you will not get bored!