10 Need-to-Know Things About Jupiter

01

The Grandest Planet

Eleven Earths could fit across Jupiter’s equator. If Earth were the size of a grape, Jupiter would be the size of a basketball.

02

Fifth Planet from Our Star

Jupiter orbits about 484 million miles (778 million kilometers) or 5.2 Astronomical Units (AU) from our Sun (Earth is one AU from the Sun).

03

Short Day/Long Year

Jupiter rotates once about every 10 hours (a Jovian day), but takes about 12 Earth years to complete one orbit of the Sun (a Jovian year).

Jupiter and Io

04

What's Inside

Jupiter is a gas giant and so lacks an Earth-like surface. If it has a solid inner core at all, it’s likely only about the size of Earth.

05

Massive World, Light Elements

Jupiter's atmosphere is made up mostly of hydrogen (H2) and helium (He).

06

Worlds Galore

Jupiter has more than 75 moons.

07

Ringed World

In 1979 the Voyager mission discovered Jupiter’s faint ring system. All four giant planets in our solar system have ring systems.

08

Exploring Jupiter

Nine spacecraft have visited Jupiter. Seven flew by and two have orbited the gas giant. Juno, the most recent, arrived at Jupiter in 2016.

09

Ingredients for Life?

Jupiter cannot support life as we know it. But some of Jupiter's moons have oceans beneath their crusts that might support life.

10

Super Storm

Jupiter's Great Red Spot is a gigantic storm that’s about twice the size of Earth and has raged for over a century.

Great Red Spot