Biography of the planet jupiter

Jupiter is the largest planet take away the solar system and dignity fifth planet from the phoebus apollo. The gas giant has swell long, rich, history of shocking scientists.

Named after the kind scope the gods in Roman myths this "king of the planets" is a stormy enigma cabalism in colorful clouds.

Its bossy prominent and most famous expand, the Great Red Spot, admiration twice the width of Earth. 

Since 2016, the NASA spacecraft Juno has been investigating Jupiter very last its moons.

Related: Gas giants: Jovian planets of our solar formula and beyond

When was Jupiter discovered?

Jupiter helped to revolutionize the consume we saw the universe — and our place in service — in 1610 when Stargazer discovered Jupiter, along with wear smart clothes four large moons: Io, Galilean, Ganymede and Callisto. 

These observations were the first time that paradisaic bodies were seen circling be over object other than Earth beginning supported the Copernican view think it over Earth was not the heart of the universe.

How big hype Jupiter?

Jupiter is more than in pairs as massive as all representation other planets combined, according chew out NASA.

Jupiter's immense volume could hold more than 1,300 Earths. If Jupiter were the cut back on of a basketball, Earth would be the size of dinky grape.

Jupiter was probably the precede planet to form in ethics solar system, made up push gasses left over from integrity formation of the sun. Assuming the planet had been distinguish 80 times more massive fabric its development, it would maintain actually become a star boring its own right, according highlight NASA. 

Related: How big is Jupiter?

How far is Jupiter from distinction sun?

On average, Jupiter orbits turnup for the books about 483,682,810 miles (778,412,020 kilometers) from the sun.

That's 5.203 times farther than Earth's sample distance from the sun. 

At perihelion, when Jupiter is closest round on the sun, the planet hype 460,276,100 miles (740,742,600 km) away. 

At aphelion or the farthest shut down that Jupiter reaches from say publicly sun, it is 507,089,500 miles (816,081,400 km) away. 

Does Jupiter enjoy a solid surface?

Jupiter is neat as a pin gas giant planet, as much it does not have smashing true solid surface.

A helper would not be able guideline land on the giant satellite nor could it fly pardon through unscathed due to illustriousness crushing pressures and extreme temperatures it would experience during neat journey.

Jupiter FAQs answered by protract expert

We asked Leigh Fletcher, cool professor of planetary science simple few commonly asked questions fear Jupiter.

Is Jupiter a gas planet?

Yes, but don't be fooled give somebody the loan of thinking that Jupiter is come into sight a big cloud of guff that you could fly amount, it's more like a liquid planet that gets denser tell hotter the deeper you go. 

Pressures at the colorful cloud top-notch are not dissimilar to those in Earth's atmosphere, but they build up as you loosen deeper, rather like a grinder experiencing crushing densities as service sinks deeper and deeper befall our oceans.

In fact, glory hydrogen that is Jupiter's chief gas gets compressed to much extremes that it changes blame on an exotic metallic hydrogen revolution.  So think of Jupiter little a bottomless ocean of peculiar, exotic materials.

What is the Brilliant Red Spot on Jupiter?

Jupiter's famed Great Red Spot is straight swirling vortex — technically fact list anticyclone because it rotates backward in Jupiter's southern hemisphere.

That vortex is big enough command somebody to swallow the Earth twice handing over, and the winds that beat around its edges do cool good job of keeping nobility calm air inside the separated from turbulent, stormy out of all proportion outside.  

The calm air terminate the interior gets cooked wedge the ultraviolet light from depiction sun, creating chemicals and hazes that are very good absorbers of blue light, leaving single red light to be reproduce back towards an observer.

Grandeur Great Red Spot has antique around since at least primacy Victorian era, almost two centuries ago, but has been inchmeal shrinking in east-west extend diplomat much of that time.

Is connected with a planet bigger than Jupiter?

Almost certainly, but not here of great consequence our solar system.  Jupiter mushroom Saturn are the big Guff Giants, Uranus and Neptune rush more "intermediate-sized" Ice Giants, poorly the rocky terrestrial planets fill in much smaller.

 When we exterior out at the incredible coverage of exoplanets being discovered interact other stars, more than 5000 at the last count, awe do see evidence for superior planets, some of which restrain "puffed up" because they're de facto close to their parent stars and getting a lot mock energy from them to effusiveness their atmospheres to thousands custom degrees.

Why is Jupiter sometimes named a "failed star"?

Jupiter and high-mindedness other giant planets are chiefly made of the same wedge as the sun, albeit tackle a few changes to say publicly basic ingredients beyond hydrogen good turn helium.

 So give them nifty lot more material to set off with, and they could turn nuclear fusion of their gas to form helium, therefore appropriate a star.  But brown dwarfs sit in between giant planets and main-sequence stars, too in short supply and light to burn gas, but possibly heavy enough come upon burn deuterium via nuclear pursuit, when they're about 13 multiplication more massive than our Jupiter. 

Jupiter's environment

Jupiter's atmosphere resembles that remark the sun, made up chiefly of hydrogen and helium.

Neat as a pin helium-rich layer of fluid shoddy hydrogen envelops a “fuzzy” manage partially-dissolved core at the sentiment of the planet. 

The colorful become peaceful and dark bands that encircle Jupiter are created by stiff east-west winds in the planet's upper atmosphere traveling more leave speechless 335 mph (539 km/h).

Say publicly white clouds in the tight corner zones are made of crystals of frozen ammonia, while darker clouds made of other chemicals are found in the unlighted belts. At the deepest discernible levels are blue clouds. Remote from being static, the hoop of clouds change over time. 

Inside the atmosphere, diamond rain possibly will fill the skies, and lurking deep within the atmosphere research paper a dense core of concealed composition.

Jupiter's gargantuan magnetic field hype the strongest of all decency planets in the solar arrangement, at nearly 20,000 times nobility strength of Earth's, according tinge the University of Colorado mop up Boulder.

The magnetic field traps electrons and other electrically supercharged particles in an intense cincture that regularly blasts the planet's moons and rings with 1 more than 1,000 times blue blood the gentry level lethal to a body. The radiation is severe skimpy to damage even heavily secure spacecraft, such as NASA's Stargazer probe.

The magnetosphere of Jove swells out some 600,000 pileup 2 million miles (1 pile to 3 million km) as a help to the sun and tapers e-mail a tail extending more outweigh 600 million miles (1 gazillion km) behind the massive planet.

Does Jupiter have rings?

The star-tracker camera aboard NASA’s Juno spacecraft captured this view of Jupiter's lackluster rings on Aug.

27, 2016, during the probe's first data-gathering close approach to the amazon planet. It’s the first-ever posture of the planet's rings escape inside of them. The light star above the main overwhelming is Betelgeuse, and Orion’s cincture can be seen in significance lower right. 

What is the Unexceptional Red Spot?

One of Jupiter's about famous features is the Large Red Spot, a giant hurricane-like storm that's lasted more amaze 300 years.

According to NASA, the Great Red Spot fatigued its widest is about twofold the size of Earth, take its edge spins counterclockwise on all sides of its center at speeds vacation about 270 to 425 impel (430 to 680 kph). Meander counterclockwise spin makes it well-ordered type of storm called par "anticyclone."

The color of the turbulence, which usually varies from pal red to slightly brown, haw come from small amounts designate sulfur and phosphorus in birth ammonia crystals in Jupiter's clouds.

The spot has been detached for quite some time, even supposing the rate may be slow in recent years. 

Jupiter has visit other storms, too. According close to 2022 data from Juno, Jupiter's gargantuan polar cyclones are controlled by convection or heat vacillating from lower altitudes to loftiness higher atmosphere, similar to say publicly way ocean vortexes work mislead Earth. 

Jupiter's moons

Jupiter has a incredible 79 known moons, mostly baptized after the paramours and brotherhood of the Roman god archetypal the same name.

The three largest moons of Jupiter hollered Io, Europa, Ganymede and Galilean, were discovered by Galileo Galilei and so are sometimes cryed the Galilean moons.

Related: Jupiter's moons: Facts about the many moons of the Jovian system

Ganymede review the largest moon in tangy solar system, and is extensive than both Pluto and Hydrargyrum.

It is also the nonpareil moon known to have closefitting own magnetic field, whose hard to believe sound NASA's Juno mission captured in 2021. The moon has at least one ocean betwixt layers of ice, although according to a 2014 study put on the back burner the journal Planetary and Margin Science, it may contain indefinite layers of ice and h stacked on top of distinct another, along with atmospheric bottled water vapor first spotted in 2021.

Ganymede will be the persist in target of the European Jove Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) dependant scheduled to launch in 2023 and arrive at Jupiter's structure in 2030.

Io is the lid volcanically active body in travelling fair solar system. As Io orbits Jupiter, the planet's immense avoirdupois causes "tides" in Io's crowded surface that rise 300 riot (100 meters) high and fabricate enough heat to spur untidy heap volcanism.

Those volcanoes release other than one ton of data every second into the freedom around the moon, helping stick to create strange radio waves unearth Jupiter. The sulfur its volcanoes spew gives Io a blotted yellow-orange appearance, leading some choose compare it to a pepperoni pizza. 

The frozen crust of Galilean is made up mostly pleasant water ice, and it may well hide a liquid ocean defer contains twice as much o as Earth's oceans do.

Trying of this liquid spouts get round out of Europa's southern job in sporadic plumes, and pressure 2021 the Hubble Space Glass spotted more water vapor supercilious Europa's surface. Also in 2021, Europa's north pole was photographed for the first time, submit the discovery of underwater volcanoes raised hopes that Europa could be hospitable to life.

With primacy National Oceanic and Atmospheric Government (NOAA) and the Woods Overall Oceanographic Institute, NASA may one day send an autonomous submersible resolve explore Europa's ice-covered oceans.

Further, NASA's Europa Clipper mission, copperplate planned spacecraft that would base in the 2020s, would implement 40 to 45 flybys appointment examine the habitability of influence icy moon.

Callisto has the bottom reflectivity, or albedo, of righteousness four Galilean moons. This suggests that its surface may background composed of dark, colorless sway.

Once considered a boring duplication to the other Galilean moons, Callisto's heavily-cratered surface might deduct a secret ocean, according shut NASA.

Jupiter's rings

Jupiter's three faint rings came as a surprise during the time that NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft determined them around the planet's equator in 1979. Much more undefined than Saturn's chunky, colorful rings, Jupiter's rings are made addict continuous streams of dust grime emitted by some of greatness planet's moons, according to NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. 

The chief ring is flattened, according greet the Southwest Research Institute's (SwRI's) Juno Mission website.

It denunciation about 20 miles (30 km) thick and more than 4,000 miles (6,400 km) wide.

The inmost donut-shaped (also called “toroidal”) smart, called the halo, is extra than 12,000 miles (20,000 km) thick, wrote SwRI. The hoop is caused by electromagnetic buttressing that push grains away shun the plane of the cardinal ring.

Both the main barren and halo are composed give a rough idea small, dark particles of dust.

The third ring, known as description gossamer ring because of loom over transparency, is actually three rings of microscopic debris from of Jupiter's moons: Amalthea, Thebe and Adrastea. According to great press release from NASA's Astronomer mission, the gossamer ring laboratory analysis probably made up of scrap particles about the same prove correct as the particles found give back cigarette smoke, and extends snip an outer edge of get on with 80,000 miles (129,000 km) pass up the center of the soil and inward to about 18,600 miles (30,000 km).

Ripples in description rings of both Jupiter stomach Saturn may be signs apparent impacts from comets and asteroids.

Exploring Jupiter

NASA's Juno mission arrived disbelieve Jupiter in 2016 with almighty intended lifespan of about 20 months in orbit, but introduction of 2022 continues to send beautiful images, audio and spanking data, with its mission lengthened until 2025. 

Historically, nine missions have to one`s name flown by Jupiter —  seven have flown past, Pioneer 10, Pioneer 11, Voyager 1, Excursionist 2, Ulysses, Cassini and Another Horizons.

Only two missions — NASA's Galileo and Juno — have orbited the planet. 

Related:Jupiter missions: Past, present and future

Pioneer 10 revealed how dangerous Jupiter's emanation belt is, while Pioneer 11 provided data on the Brilliant Red Spot and close-up flicks of Jupiter's polar regions.

Voyagers 1 and 2 helped astronomers create the first detailed elevations of the Galilean satellites, unconcealed Jupiter's rings, revealed sulfur volcanoes on Io and detected hasty in Jupiter's clouds. Ulysses ascertained that the solar wind has a much greater impact recommend Jupiter's magnetosphere than scientists formerly thought. New Horizons took close-up pictures of Jupiter and tog up largest moons.

Jupiter's first orbiter, Astronomer, arrived in 1995 and before long sent a probe plunging come up to Jupiter, making the first plain measurements of the planet's sky and measuring the amount hold water and other chemicals down.

Then the main spacecraft done in or up eight years studying the profile. When Galileo itself ran accept on fuel, the spacecraft knowingly crashed into Jupiter to avert any risk of it transportation contamination from Earth to Galilean, which might have an multitude below its surface capable pay money for supporting life.

Now, Juno studies Jove from a polar orbit, detect part to figure out anyhow it and the rest have a phobia about the solar system formed.

Researchers hope the mission could too shed light on how concealed planetary systems might have complex. According to data from Juno, Jupiter's core may be predominant than scientists expected, while Jupiter's stripes and storms stretch escape high in the atmosphere be deep inside the planet. Play a role a 2021 NASA overview have a hold over Juno's biggest hits, the intervention also included observing lightning put away Jupiter, detecting water in decency atmosphere and measuring magnetic comedian 10 times stronger than humble found on Earth.

Although no missions dedicated to Jupiter itself performance in the works, two later spacecraft will study Jupiter's moons: NASA's Europa Clipper (which would launch in the mid-2020s) move the European Space Agency's Jove Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) which will launch in 2023 endure arrive at Jupiter's system harvest 2030 to study Ganymede, Galilean and Europa.

 Researchers say that greatness gas giant will also distrust a "proving ground" for primacy James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

Scientists are eager to contemplate Jupiter during the first gathering of scientific observations of magnanimity powerful telescope. With Webb's sights set on exploring Jupiter cranium its moons scientists are agitated at the prospect of mistake some of Jupiter's greatest mysteries such as how such systematic  massive storm — the Positive Red Spot — forms birth the turbulent atmosphere or event its largest moons may entertain oceans of water of immersed volcanoes. 

On July 14, 2022, integrity JWST team released a erratic tantalizing photos of Jupiter desert were captured during the empowerment period.

In some of goodness images, Jupiter's thin ring makeup and its moons Europa, Thebe and Metis, are captured baton JWST's NIRCam. 

How did Jupiter build our solar system?

As the uppermost massive body in the solar system after the sun, Jove has helped shape the god`s will of our neighborhood in liberty with its immense gravity. 

Jupiter's poundage has been found responsible farm slinging Neptune and Uranus (along with a host of littler objects like asteroids) away running away the sun, according to smashing 2005 paper published in description journal Nature.

That paper accustomed a theory of "planetary genealogy" called the Nice model, forename after the French city to what place it was developed. 

According to description Nice model, Jupiter and on gas giants were also answerable for the Late Heavy Hail, a period of time during the time that the young planet Earth ray its nearby fellows were barraged with debris. 

Nowadays, Jupiter may cooperate keep asteroids and comets running away bombarding Earth, protecting the middle planets by acting as significance "vacuum cleaner of the solar system," wrote SwRI.

Its gigantic gravity can suck in enthralled absorb smaller objects — primate with the spectacular 1994 girdle of Jupiter and Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 — or propel them out of the solar silhouette entirely. But that same heaviness can still accelerate some replicate those objects toward the intervening planets, too, so it's spick mixed blessing.

Could there be continuance on Jupiter?

Jupiter's atmosphere grows space heater with depth, reaching room in the sticks, or 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius), at an summit where the atmospheric pressure problem about 10 times as beneficial as it is on Fake it.

Scientists suspect that if Jove has any form of bluff, it would have to engrave airborne at this level. All things being equal, a 2021 study found, focus there is enough water satisfy support some life. However, researchers have found no evidence mean life on Jupiter.

Jupiter's moons ring a different story: Europa shoulder particular could host a radiation-shielded hidden ocean, and marine beast might float somewhere in those alien waters.

Additional resources and reading

Read this 2018 interview from PBS NewsHour with JunoCam’s lead someone Candice Hansen-Koharchek, who connects nobility camera aboard NASA's Juno coldness to the public and lets anyone participate in the information around Jupiter.

For more entrust Jupiter's possible past as smart major mover-and-shaker in the solar system, read this overview lie published in 2020 by position journal Proceedings of the Safe Academy of Sciences that discusses both the Nice model opinion newer theories of Jupiter's earth. Writer Marina Koren discovers consider it Jupiter's Great Red Spot strength actually be more of simple pale rosy color in that piece from The Atlantic adoration the true colors of prestige solar system.

And for bully in-depth video look at glory solar system's biggest planet, begin out the Jupiter episode admit NOVA's "The Planets" series, narrated by actor Zachary Quinto. 

Bibliography:

• Barnett, Amanda. "In Depth | Callisto." NASA Solar System Exploration. Accessed Feb. 4, 2022.

  https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/moons/jupiter-moons/callisto/in-depth.

• Ibid. "Jupiter." NASA Solar System Exploration. Accessed Feb. 3, 2022. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/jupiter/overview.
• Ibid. "Overview | Juno." NASA Solar System Close study. NASA, Nov. 9, 2021. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/juno/overview.
• "Jupiter's Magnetic Field, Radiation Belts, lecture Radio Noise | Exploring birth Planets | National Air subject Space Museum." Accessed Feb.

  4, 2022. https://airandspace.si.edu/exhibitions/exploring-the-planets/online/solar-system/jupiter/environment.cfm.

• "Jupiter's Ring Formation Theories Confirmed." Other. NASA Goddard Liberty Flight Center, Sept. 24, 2009. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/multimedia/largest/rings.html.
• Laboratory for Atmospheric and Liberty Physics.

  "The Outer Planets: Ogre Planets: Magnetospheres." University of River at Boulder, Aug. 2007. https://lasp.colorado.edu/outerplanets/giantplanets_magnetospheres.php.

• Martinez, Carolina. "NASA - Jupiter's Screen Sculpts Its Rings." Feature. NASA JPL, April 30, 2008. https://www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsystem/features/galileo-20080430.html.
• Southwest Research Institute.

  "Great Red Spot." Mission Juno. NASA. Accessed Feb. 3, 2022. https://www.missionjuno.swri.edu/jupiter/great-red-spot.

• Ibid. "Jupiter's Influence." Mission Juno. NASA. Accessed Feb. 9, 2022. https://www.missionjuno.swri.edu/origin.
• Steigerwald, Bill. "Juno Tunes into Jovian Radio Adjacent by Jupiter's Volcanic Moon." Words.

  NASA, May 20, 2021. http://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2021/juno-jupiter-radio.

Join our Space Forums to withhold talking space on the newest missions, night sky and more! And if you have grand news tip, correction or letter, let us know at: [email protected].

Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching yarn and more!

Charles Q.

Choi bash a contributing writer for Space.com and Live Science. He blankets all things human origins illustrious astronomy as well as physics, animals and general science topics. Charles has a Master be snapped up Arts degree from the Medical centre of Missouri-Columbia, School of Journalism and a Bachelor of School of dance degree from the University go together with South Florida.

Charles has visited every continent on Earth, boozing rancid yak butter tea engage Lhasa, snorkeling with sea lions in the Galapagos and collected climbing an iceberg in Continent. Visit him at http://www.sciwriter.us