Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest in the Solar System. Here are some key details about this massive planet:
Overview
- Size: Jupiter has a diameter of about 142,984 km, making it 11 times the diameter of Earth.
- Mass: It contains 2.5 times the mass of all the other planets in the Solar System combined.
- Composition: It's primarily composed of hydrogen (90%) and helium (10%) with trace amounts of methane, water vapor, ammonia, and other compounds.
- Atmosphere: The atmosphere of Jupiter exhibits bands of different colors and cloud patterns, including the famous Great Red Spot, which is a storm larger than Earth that has been observed for over 300 years.
Discovery and Historical Observations
- Jupiter has been known since ancient times. It was named after the Roman god Jupiter, the king of the gods.
- The first recorded observations of Jupiter's moons were made by Galileo Galilei in 1610, leading to the discovery of the four largest moons, now known as the Galilean moons.
Physical Characteristics
- Rotation: Jupiter has the shortest day of any planet in the Solar System, with one rotation taking just under 10 hours.
- Magnetic Field: It has a powerful magnetic field, about 20,000 times stronger than Earth's, which is thought to be generated by the motion of metallic hydrogen inside the planet.
- Moons: As of the latest counts, Jupiter has 79 known moons, with the four largest being Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.
- Rings: Jupiter has a faint ring system, primarily composed of dust particles ejected from its moons by meteoroid impacts.
Exploration
- Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 were the first spacecraft to visit Jupiter in the 1970s.
- Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 provided detailed images and data in the late 1970s.
- The Galileo orbiter orbited Jupiter from 1995 to 2003, providing extensive data on the planet and its moons.
- The Juno mission, launched in 2011, is currently studying Jupiter's composition, gravity field, magnetic field, and polar magnetosphere.
Notable Features
- Great Red Spot: A persistent high-pressure region in Jupiter's atmosphere, producing an anticyclonic storm.
- Cloud Bands: Alternating light and dark bands, which are belts and zones, created by differences in the thickness and height of the ammonia clouds.
Scientific Interest
- Jupiter's immense size and composition make it a focal point for understanding the formation of gas giants and the Solar System.
- Its moons, especially Europa, are of interest for potential habitability due to the possibility of subsurface oceans.
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