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Jupiter is the 5th planet to the Sun, and is also the largest planet in our solar system. In fact, Jupiter is so big that up to 1300 Earths can fit inside of it.
Jupiter's atmospheric composition is made of the same elements as the Sun, hydrogen and helium. However, unlike the Sun, Jupiter does not have enough gravity and mass to begin nuclear fusion and become a star or even a brown dwarf.
Seasons on Jupiter are not very extreme due to its tilt. It takes nearly 12 years to complete its orbit but what is interesting is that it is the fastest rotating planet in the solar system because it takes only 10 hours to complete one rotation.
Like all the other Jovian planets, Jupiter has a ring system. However, its ring system is the least massive out of all the planets and is much smaller than Saturn's extensive ring system and is barely visible to the naked eye.
Atmosphere
See also: Atmosphere of Jupiter
The atmosphere of Jupiter consists of hydrogen, helium, and ammonia as well as trace amounts of water, ethane and methane.
Cloud layers
Jupiter is completely covered with clouds of ammonia crystals, which may contain ammonium hydrosulfide. The clouds are located in the tropopause layer of the atmosphere, forming bands at different latitudes, known as tropical regions. These are subdivided into lighter-hued zones and darker belts. The interactions of these conflicting circulation patterns cause storms and turbulence. Wind speeds of 100 metres per second (360 km/h; 220 mph) are common in zonal jet streams. The zones have been observed to vary in width, colour and intensity from year to year, but they all remain stable enough for scientists to name them.
Great Red Spot
Main article: Great Red Spot
Moons
Main article: Moons of Jupiter
As of March 2024, Jupiter has 95 confirmed moons. There are definitely more irregular moons of Jupiter that were seen in image analysis, but had insufficient data to have a confirmed orbit. Some of Jupiter’s moons include the Galilean Moons, some of the largest and unique moons in the solar system.
“Bruises” on Jupiter’s surface after the Shoemaker-Levy 9 impact.
Shoemaker-Levy 9
Main article: Shoemaker-Levy 9
D/1993 F2, or Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, was a short-period comet that began orbiting Jupiter around the early 1980's. On July 16, 1994, the first piece impacted on 8:13 pm. Before this, the comet split into 21 pieces, and the first one to hit , designated "fragment A" was one of the pieces of the comet's nucleus that collided. The other ones collided at different times after the fact.[1]
Exploration
The flyby missions of Jupiter began in the year of 1973 with, the most notable spacecraft, Pioneer 10, making its first flyby in December of 1973. The last flyby mission was made by New Horizons, which came within two million miles of Jupiter. The farthest approach was made by the second Ulysses mission, which came within one hundred twenty million miles of the planet. The closest approach of of them all was Juno, which came with five thousand kilometers of the planet.
Below is a chart of the spacecrafts, their closest approaches, in kilometers, and the date of their closest approaches, and for orbiters, the day when they when they were first captured.
Flybys
| Name of Spacecraft | Distance of Closest Approach | Date of Closest Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Pioneer 10 | 129,560 km | December 3, 1973 |
| Pioneer 11 | 33,700 km | December 4, 1974 |
| Voyager 1 | 348,950 km | March 5, 1979 |
| Voyager 2 | 595,000 km | July 9, 1979 |
| Ulysses (#1) | 410,000 km | February 8, 1992 |
| Cassini-Huygens | 10,200,000 km | December 30, 2000 |
| Ulysses (#2) | 119,780,000 km | February 4, 2004 |
| New Horizons | 2,305,000 km | February 28, 2007 |
Orbiters
| Name of Spacecraft | Closest Approach | Day of Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Galileo | 260 km (primary mission) | December 7, 1995 |
| Juno | 3,300 km | July 4, 2016 |
Future Missions
Orbiters
| Name of Spacecraft | Date of Approach | Date of Launch |
|---|---|---|
| JUICE | July 2031 | April 14, 2023 |
| Europa Clipper | April 11, 2030 | October 10, 2024 (planned) |
Gallery/Images
See Also
References
| The Planets and Dwarf Planets | |
|---|---|
| Planets | |
| Mercury • Venus • Earth • Mars • Jupiter • Saturn • Uranus • Neptune | |
| Dwarf Planets | |
| Ceres • Pluto • Haumea • Makemake • Quaoar • Eris | |