Jupiter Facts
One of the most capturing Jupiter facts is that it is bigger than all the nine planets combined together. Jupiter being the largest of all the planets has a diameter of 142984km. Just imagine how big it is! In fact it is 318 times bigger than our planet Earth.
It is the fourth brightest object in the sky after the sun, moon and then Venus but sometimes mars appears to be brighter than Jupiter. The planet has got the highest spinning speed as compared to any of the other. A year on Jupiter comprises of 12 earth days whereas a day on the planet comprises of 10 hours of an earth day.
Yet another one of the amazing Jupiter facts is that it is surrounded by more than 50 moons and it is all the more amazing that scientists keep on finding more moons every now and then. 11 new moons were discovered in May, 2002. The last count was found to be around 64, Ganymede and Callisto being the first and the second largest respectively.
Jupiter is a stormy planet and high blowing winds along with heavy lightening is a common sight in its cloudy cover. Jupiter unlike other planets is made up of dense gases, which include 89% of hydrogen, 11% of helium and minute traces of methane, ammonia and water vapour. These gases also contribute to its colorful texture. There is a high pressure cloud region on Jupiter, believed to be composed of red phosphorus, moving in an anticlockwise direction is referred to as The Great Red Spot. It ranges from about 12000 to 25000km. these kind of storms have been a part of the planet’s atmosphere from over 300 years.
The first space craft which visited Jupiter was Pioneer 10 in 1973. The other space probes to follow were Pioneer 11, Voyage 1 and 2, Ulysses and Galileo. Among all, Voyager and Galileo have been highly successful in providing the scientists with very clear pictures and detailed information. It was in these photographs by Voyager 1 in 1979 that thin rings were discovered but they were smaller, darker and fainter in comparison to the rings around Saturn. These rings are believed to be composed of dust particles, which rise up by the impact of the meteorites hitting into the planet’s inner moons. There are no traces of ice in these rings, as was found in the rings surrounding Saturn. Recent studies show the probability of yet another ring around the planet, in the backward orbit.
It is believed that the planet has been named after Jupiter, the king of Gods in Roman mythology. Jupiter is also the sun of Saturn. All these Jupiter facts enable us to build a better understanding of the planet.