Depth 04 · Gas giant

Jupiter

Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system, a giant ball of mostly hydrogen and helium with no solid surface. It has more than 300 times Earth's mass, a storm larger than Earth, and a large family of moons that includes Ganymede, the biggest moon in the solar system.

Fact sheet

Type

Gas giant

Distance

About 778 million km (484 million miles), or 5.2 AU, from the Sun on average

Size

Diameter about 142,984 km (88,846 miles) at the equator, about 11 times Earth's

Discovered

Known since antiquity

On the voyage

Depth 4, in the Inner Sol section of the route, between Ceres and Io

Things to know

• Jupiter spins once in about 9.9 hours, the shortest day of any planet, but takes about 12 Earth years to orbit the Sun. NASA
• Jupiter's mass is about 318 times Earth's. NASA NSSDC
• The Great Red Spot is a storm about twice Earth's width that has been watched for more than 300 years, and Juno's gravity data show it reaches about 500 km (300 miles) deep. NASA
• Deep inside, hydrogen is squeezed into an electrically conducting liquid metal, and Juno found the core is larger and fuzzier than expected, partly mixed into its surroundings. NASA
• Eight cyclones form an octagon around Jupiter's north pole, while five form a pentagon at the south pole. NASA

Missions

Pioneer 10 (1973), Pioneer 11 (1974) and Voyager 1 and 2 (1979) flew past, Galileo orbited until 2003, Cassini passed by in 2000, and Juno has orbited since 2016; NASA's Europa Clipper is due in 2030 and ESA's Juice in 2031.

Sources

• NASA – Jupiter: Facts
• NASA NSSDC – Jupiter Fact Sheet
• NASA – Jupiter Exploration
• ESA – Juice