Jupiter is the fifth planet in our solar system and, due to its distance from the Sun, is one of the so-called outer or gaseous planets . Unlike rocky planets such as Earth, Mars or Mercury, it is composed of immense quantities of gases in a liquid or gaseous state, mainly hydrogen and helium, as well as smaller quantities of methane, water, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide.
One of the most notable features of Jupiter is the presence of large bands that run parallel to its equatorial axis and the presence of a gigantic formation or spot on its surface, dubbed the “ Great Red Spot ”.
This spot is nothing more than a gigantic storm several thousand kilometers in diameter and was first seen by the English astronomer Robert Hooke in 1664.
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This giant was named after the Roman god Jupiter , precisely because of its large size. In fact, it is so large that even though it is extremely far from Earth, it is perfectly visible at night due to the large amount of light it reflects from the Sun.
How big is Jupiter?
Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system and has a diameter of 139,820 kilometres, which is more than 11 times the diameter of planet Earth. This means that in terms of size, 1,317 planets the size of our planet can fit within the space occupied by this gas giant.
Because of its large size, Jupiter is the fourth brightest object in the sky after the Sun, the Moon and Venus. It would be possible to fill Jupiter with a thousand Earth-sized planets.
In any case, there is a peculiarity that must be taken into account when studying this great planetary body and that is that despite being much larger than the Earth, its density is much lower because it is made up of gases and not solids like our planet.
In other words, although its volume is equivalent to that of 1,317 Earths, its mass is only 318 times greater than that of our home planet.
Even so, its importance is such as being the largest body in our system that its mass, defined as (Mj), was adopted to measure the masses of gaseous planets in other solar systems or even brown dwarf stars.
How far is Jupiter from the Sun?
Jupiter is more than five times as far from the Sun as Earth, or 5 AU or astronomical units . This is equivalent to an average distance of 787.33 million kilometers, since its orbit is elliptical and not circular.
The shape of this orbit means that Jupiter is just 736 million kilometres from the Sun when it is at its closest point and 812.8 million kilometres when it is at the farthest point in its orbit.
It is important to note that Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars are relatively close to each other, while Jupiter, the next planet in order from the Sun, is extremely far from Mars.
In this way, we can say that Mercury is located 57.9 million kilometers from the Sun, followed by Venus with 108.2 million kilometers and the Earth, which is located in the third orbit with 146.6 million kilometers from our star.
In fourth position is Mars, with a diameter of 227.94 million kilometers in its orbit.
This means that between the first and fourth planets in the solar system there is a separation of just 170.04 million kilometres, while between the fourth (Mars) and the fifth (Jupiter) this separation grows to 508 million kilometres.
The planet Saturn, next after Jupiter, is 1,429.4 million kilometers from the Sun, that is, about 642 million kilometers from its predecessor in the order of the planets.
Length of day on Jupiter
The giant Jupiter takes nine hours and fifty minutes to complete one rotation on its axis. This means that a day on this planet lasts less than ten hours, the shortest among all the planets in the solar system. However, due to the large diameter of its orbit, this planet takes almost 12 Earth years to complete one rotation around the Sun.
Scientific discoveries about the planet Jupiter
Due to its great distance from the central star of our system and consequently from planet Earth, all research into the physical, chemical and electromagnetic characteristics of this gas giant faces the great challenge that satellites sent to study it can take up to 2 years to reach their destination.
However, satellites sent over the past 20 years to the outer reaches of the solar system have been able to photograph and measure many of Jupiter’s variables, including the discovery of numerous moons and improved understanding of its surface .
It is also known to have three very thin rings made of fine particles, and it has been shown that the Great Red Spot is actually a megastorm whose diameter is three times that of the Earth.
Theories and Speculations about Jupiter
Scientists studying the largest planet in our system have put forward several theories to explain the origin of its four main moons and 79 minor moons. It is generally believed that they formed from the same gaseous material that makes up Jupiter, condensed together with smaller celestial bodies of rocky origin that were captured by the enormous gravity of this planetary body.
It has also been concluded that although Jupiter is more than 787 million kilometers from the Sun, it is far from being considered an icy planet.
Its atmosphere is composed of many layers of gases, but it is believed that at a certain depth, this atmosphere has an average temperature of 21.11 degrees Celsius, very far from the freezing point of water and even further from the freezing point of most of the gases that make up the body of this planet.
Curiosities about Jupiter
Jupiter’s great size has led to all kinds of scientific speculation about its origin, formation, and its influence on the rotation of the other planets in the solar system and even on the Sun itself.
The fact that Jupiter is larger than all the other planets in our system combined has also been used to make conjectures, some true and some totally false.
An example of false scientific claims regarding Jupiter was the assertion made in 1976 by a British astronomer, who claimed that during the passage of this planet behind Pluto, the Earth’s gravity field would be altered for a few seconds.
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This scientist went so far as to tell listeners of a prestigious British radio station that if they jumped into the air at 9:47 in the morning, they would feel a sensation like “floating in the air.”
Although Jupiter’s distance from Earth would make it impossible to feel any possible influence of this gas giant on our gravity, the fact is that many people called the radio station saying that they felt “lighter” after jumping at the indicated time.
Of course, it turned out to be just an April Fool’s joke, but the reality is that the public believed and “felt” the gravitational effect mentioned by this prankster scientist.