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ORBONIX · SOLAR SYSTEM
JUPITER
The largest planet in the Solar System,
a massive world of gas, storms and
extreme atmospheric dynamics.
JUPITER · GAS GIANT
778.5 million km
AVERAGE DISTANCE FROM SUN
139,820 km
EQUATORIAL DIAMETER
11.86 YEARS
ORBITAL PERIOD
9 h 56 min
ROTATION PERIOD
1.33 g/cm³
AVERAGE DENSITY
~−110°C
CLOUD-TOP TEMPERATURE
THE LARGEST PLANET
Jupiter is the largest planet in the
Solar System. It is a gas giant composed
primarily of hydrogen and helium.
Its atmosphere contains enormous
cloud bands, powerful jet streams and
some of the most extreme storms known
in the Solar System.
Jupiter rotates incredibly quickly.
One complete rotation takes less than
10 Earth hours, making it the planet
with the shortest day in the Solar System.
Deep inside Jupiter, pressure becomes
so extreme that hydrogen behaves in an
unusual metallic state.
Jupiter also has a very powerful magnetic
field and a huge system of moons.
GREAT RED SPOT
A gigantic storm larger than Earth that
has persisted for centuries in Jupiter's
atmosphere.
METALLIC HYDROGEN
Extreme pressure deep inside Jupiter
causes hydrogen to enter a metallic
state capable of conducting electricity.
GALILEAN MOONS
Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto are
Jupiter's four largest moons.
DID YOU KNOW?
Jupiter is so massive that it contains
about 2.5 times the mass of all the other planets combined.
JUPITER AS A PLANETARY SYSTEM
Jupiter is more than a single planet: its powerful gravity, faint rings and large family of moons form a complex miniature planetary system. The four Galilean moons are especially diverse—Io is intensely volcanic, Europa is covered by ice, Ganymede is the largest moon in the Solar System, and Callisto preserves an ancient, heavily cratered surface.
Studying Jupiter helps scientists investigate giant-planet atmospheres, magnetic environments and the formation of planetary systems.
IMAGE:
NASA / JPL / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS