Jupiter

Jupiter, the fourth brightest object in the Earth night sky is a giant among gas giants—at least in our solar system. The massive planet is so large that one of it’s more interesting features, a giant storm that has been raging for hundreds of years, is three times larger than Earth itself.

A Look at Jupiter

Jupiter is the fifth planet in the solar system, counting outwards from the sun, and the largest. While 11 times larger than Earth, Jupiter is less dense. It is, however, much more massive. The mass of Jupiter is two and half times greater than the mass of all of the other planets in the solar system combined. It is this, along with a few other factors, that have lead some scientists to classify Jupiter as a “failed star.” Were it denser, the core would cause the planet to shrink, then fusion to begin, then ignition into a star. The planet is actually thought to have shrunk over the course of its lifespan, currently about half the size at which it started out.

While hard to see, Jupiter does have a ring system. Unlike Saturn, with very visible rings of ice, Jupiter’s rings are dust, thought to be captured material ejected from its moons. Speaking of which, Jupiter has 63 known moons, including the four discovered by Galileo and named the Galilean Moons; Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. Even more than Mars, Europa has been citied as the best possible hope for extraterrestrial life, due to a theorised liquid water ocean beneath its ice crust, a tidal heating energy source and an oxygen atmosphere. Despite many attempts, currently extended exploration of Europa has been forestalled.

Jovian Atmosphere

Jupiter, on the other hand, could not possibly support life as known on Earth—as far as science’s understanding of the planet is concerned. It is unknown if the gas of this gas giant goes all the way through the planet, but it is thought there is a rocky core at the centre of Jupiter. Surrounding this core would be a very deep layer of metallic hydrogen, topped with the bands of gaseous clouds that range the “surface” of the planet. Comprised mostly of hydrogen and helium, there are a lot of other elements present in smaller amounts. Bands of clouds ring the planet, moving counter to each other, and producing some of the greatest storms the solar system has ever known.

The Great Red Spot

One of the most fascinating objects in the solar system, the Great Red Spot is a gigantic storm that has been going for at least two hundred years. This free ranging, spinning storm is so huge three Earths could fit inside it, and it is possible to see from an Earth based telescope.

Final Thoughts

The most current exploration of Jupiter was done by New Horizons, a spacecraft that used the orbit of the planet in February of 2007 to gain speed and trajectory towards its first major stop, Pluto. Along the way it studied the planet and many of the moons. It is hoped that NASA will get the funding to explore Europa and more of Jupiter in the near future.

Related Articles in the 'The Planets' Category...

• All About The Earth
• ISS Assembly Sequence
• Mars
• Neptune
• Planet Mercury
• Planet Venus
• Planets Outside the Solar System
• Pluto
• Saturn
• Uranus