10 Fascinating Facts About Jupiter: The Solar System's Largest Planet

10 Fascinating Facts About Jupiter: The Solar System's Largest Planet

Size and scale

Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and has a diameter of about 143,000 km, making it approximately 11 times larger than Earth. In volume, Jupiter is enormous, as it can contain over 1,300 Earths.

Massive gravity

Because of its enormous size, Jupiter has a significant gravitational pull that is approximately 2.5 times stronger than Earth's. If a person weighed 68 kg on Earth, they would weigh about 170 kg on Jupiter.

Fast rotation and short days

Although Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system, it has an incredibly fast rotation. A day on Jupiter lasts only 9 hours and 56 minutes, which is the shortest day of all the planets in the solar system.

A multitude of moons

Jupiter has an impressive collection of at least 79 known moons. The four largest, Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto, are called Galilean moons, named after their discoverer, Galileo Galilei.

The Great Red Spot

Jupiter is known for its iconic storm, the Great Red Spot. This storm is about twice the size of Earth and has been raging on Jupiter's surface for at least 300 years.

The composition of the gas giant

Jupiter is a gas giant and consists mainly of hydrogen (90%) and helium (10%). It has no solid surface, and its atmosphere becomes progressively denser and warmer as one moves inward toward the planet's core.

Jupiter's rings

Although Saturn is best known for its impressive rings, Jupiter also has a ring system. It consists of four primary rings that are much fainter and less visible than Saturn's rings.

The force of the magnetic field

Jupiter has the strongest magnetic field in the solar system, which is between 14 and 20 times stronger than Earth's magnetic field. This magnetic field also generates intense radiation belts that make it difficult for space probes to approach the planet.

Energy radiation

Jupiter emits more energy than it receives from the Sun. This is because it is still releasing heat from its formation some 4.5 billion years ago, causing the planet to radiate with its own internal energy.

Visibility from Earth

Jupiter is one of the five planets that can be seen from Earth without the use of a telescope. It is usually the fourth brightest object in the sky - after the Sun, Moon and Venus. On a clear night, you can see Jupiter as a bright, star-like point of light. If you have a telescope, you can even see some of Jupiter's largest moons.