Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and is the biggest planet in our solar system. It’s called a gas giant because it’s mostly made of gases like hydrogen, helium, methane, and ammonia. Jupiter is so huge that if it were about 80 times bigger, it could have become a star instead of a planet!
Jupiter is incredibly massive. You would need more than 300 Earths to equal its mass! It’s twice as heavy as all the other planets in our solar system combined. With a diameter of over 88,000 miles (142,000 kilometers), more than 1,300 Earths could fit inside Jupiter.
People have been watching Jupiter for thousands of years. The ancient Romans named it after their king of the gods. It’s the third brightest object in the night sky, after the Moon and Venus.
Jupiter is far from the Sun, so it takes more than 11 Earth years to complete one orbit. But it spins really fast, taking only about 9 hours to rotate once. This makes it the fastest spinning planet in our solar system and gives it wild weather, making it the stormiest planet we know!
One of Jupiter’s coolest features is the Great Red Spot, a giant storm that’s been going on for hundreds of years. It’s so big that it’s larger than Earth! But scientists have noticed that it’s getting smaller and is now the smallest it’s ever been.
Jupiter’s clouds are super cold, with temperatures dropping to negative 234 degrees Fahrenheit (negative 145 degrees Celsius). But deep inside the planet, it’s really hot, with temperatures possibly reaching 43,000 degrees Fahrenheit (24,000 degrees Celsius), which is hotter than the surface of the Sun!
Jupiter has at least 67 moons! The four biggest ones—Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto—can be seen from Earth with a telescope. They were discovered by Galileo Galilei about 400 years ago. Ganymede is the largest moon in the solar system, even bigger than the planet Mercury!
Jupiter also has a faint ring system made mostly of tiny dust particles. These rings are not as noticeable as Saturn’s and were discovered by NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft in 1979.
Since 1973, eight spacecraft have visited or flown by Jupiter, helping us learn more about this giant planet. The latest mission is NASA’s Juno spacecraft, which launched on August 5, 2011, and started orbiting Jupiter in July 2016. Juno’s mission is to find out more amazing things about Jupiter.
Jupiter is a fascinating planet with its enormous size, complex atmosphere, and interesting features. As scientists continue to explore, we hope to learn even more about this giant of the solar system!
Jupiter’s Size Comparison: Gather some playdough or clay and create models of Earth and Jupiter. Use the information from the article to make Jupiter’s model much larger than Earth’s. Try to fit as many Earth models as you can inside the Jupiter model to visualize how many Earths could fit inside Jupiter. Discuss with your classmates or family how this helps you understand Jupiter’s massive size.
Weather Watch: Jupiter is known for its fast spinning and wild weather. Keep a weather journal for a week, noting the weather conditions on Earth each day. Then, imagine what it might be like on Jupiter with its fast rotation and storms like the Great Red Spot. Draw a picture of what you think a day on Jupiter might look like, considering its stormy atmosphere.
Moon Exploration: Jupiter has many moons, including the four largest ones discovered by Galileo. Create a simple telescope using a cardboard tube and some plastic wrap. Use it to observe the Moon in our night sky. Then, research one of Jupiter’s moons, like Europa or Ganymede, and draw a picture of what you think it looks like based on what you’ve learned. Share your findings with your class or family.
