Jupiter's four largest moons – Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto – were first observed by the astronomer Galileo Galilei in 1610 using an early version of the telescope. Fifty-seven moons have been given official names by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). With four large moons and many smaller moons, Jupiter forms a kind of miniature solar system. This means Jupiter spins nearly upright and does not have seasons as extreme as other planets do. Its equator is tilted with respect to its orbital path around the Sun by just 3 degrees. One day on Jupiter takes only about 10 hours (the time it takes for Jupiter to rotate or spin around once), and Jupiter makes a complete orbit around the Sun (a year in Jovian time) in about 12 Earth years (4,333 Earth days). Jupiter has the shortest day in the solar system. The sizes of the bodies are greatly exaggerated for emphasis. Planets are shown in the correct order of distance from the Sun and with the correct relative orbital distances. From this distance, it takes Sunlight 43 minutes to travel from the Sun to Jupiter. One astronomical unit (abbreviated as AU), is the distance from the Sun to Earth. If Earth were the size of a nickel, Jupiter would be about as big as a basketball.įrom an average distance of 484 million miles (778 million kilometers), Jupiter is 5.2 astronomical units away from the Sun. With a radius of 43,440.7 miles (69,911 kilometers), Jupiter is 11 times wider than Earth. There is evidence of a vast ocean just beneath its icy crust, where life could possibly be supported. Europa is one of the likeliest places to find life elsewhere in our solar system. While planet Jupiter is an unlikely place for living things to take hold, the same is not true of some of its many moons. The temperatures, pressures, and materials that characterize this planet are most likely too extreme and volatile for organisms to adapt to. Jupiter’s environment is probably not conducive to life as we know it. Jupiter, being the biggest planet, gets its name from the king of the ancient Roman gods. Credit: NASA Visualization Technology Applications and Development (VTAD) ![]() ![]() A 3D model of Jupiter, a gas giant planet.
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