Jupiter has a long history of surprising scientists – all the way back to 1610 when Galileo Galilei found the first moons beyond Earth. That discovery changed the way we see the universe.

Fifth in line from the Sun, Jupiter is, by far, the largest planet in the solar system – more than twice as massive as all the other planets combined.

Jupiter's familiar stripes and swirls are actually cold, windy clouds of ammonia and water, floating in an atmosphere of hydrogen and helium. Jupiter’s iconic Great Red Spot is a giant storm bigger than Earth that has raged for hundreds of years.

One spacecraft – NASA's Juno orbiter – is currently exploring this giant world.

Pop Culture

The biggest planet in our solar system, Jupiter also has a large presence in pop culture, including many movies, TV shows, video games, and comics. Jupiter was a notable destination in the Wachowski siblings’ science fiction spectacle "Jupiter Ascending," while various Jovian moons provide settings for "Cloud Atlas," "Futurama," "Power Rangers," and "Halo," among many others. In the movie "Men in Black" when Agent J – played by Will Smith – mentions he thought one of his childhood teachers was from Venus, Agent K – played by Tommy Lee Jones – replies that she is actually from one of Jupiter’s moons.

Kid-Friendly Jupiter

Jupiter is the biggest planet in our solar system. It's similar to a star, but it never got big enough to start burning.

Jupiter is covered in swirling cloud stripes. It has big storms like the Great Red Spot, which has been going for hundreds of years.

Jupiter is a gas giant and doesn't have a solid surface, but it may have a solid inner core about the size of Earth. Jupiter also has rings, but they're too faint to see very well.

Visit NASA Space Place for more kid-friendly facts.

NASA Space Place: All About Jupiter ›

Read More

• NASA Planetary Photojournal - Jupiter
• Planetary Rings Node
• NASA's Juno Mission
• For Kids: About Jupiter

Galileo Spacecraft Model

Galileo was the first spacecraft to orbit Jupiter.

More to Explore

• 

  Pioneer 10 Model

  Pioneer 10 was first through the asteroid belt and first to Jupiter.

• 

  Build Your Own 3D Glasses

  With a few materials and a few steps, you can build your own glasses to view 3D images.

• 

  Make Your Own 3D Images

  You can create your own red/blue 3D images to print, or look at on a computer screen, using a normal digital camera and some image processing software.