Jupiter the Giant of Giants

The fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the solar system. It is two and a half times as massive as all of the other planets in our solar system combined.

Jupiter, along with Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, is classified as a gas giant. Together, these four planets are sometimes referred to as the Jovian planets, where Jovian is the adjectival form of Jupiter.

Jupiter is 2.5 times more massive than all the other planets in our solar system combined; so massive that its barycenter with the Sun actually lies above the Sun's surface. Although this planet dwarfs the Earth (with a diameter 11 times as great) it is considerably less dense. A volume equal to 1,317 Earths only contains 318 times as much mass.

The planet Jupiter is primarily composed of hydrogen with a small proportion of helium; it may also have a rocky core of heavier elements. Because of its rapid rotation the planet is an oblate spheroid (it possesses a slight but noticeable bulge around the equator). The outer atmosphere is visibly segregated into several bands at different latitudes, resulting in turbulence and storms along their interacting boundaries.

The best known feature of Jupiter is the Great Red Spot, a persistent anticyclonic storm located 22° south of the equator that is larger than Earth. It is known to have been in existence since at least 1831, and possibly since 1665. Mathematical models suggest that the storm is stable and may be a permanent feature of the planet. The storm is large enough to be visible through Earth-based telescopes.

This diagram shows the Trojan Asteroids in Jupiter's orbit, as well as the main asteroid belt.

In addition to its moons, Jupiter's gravitational field controls numerous asteroids that have settled into the regions of the Lagrangian points preceding and following Jupiter in its orbit around the sun. These are known as the Trojan asteroids, and are divided into Greek and Trojan "camps" to commemorate the Iliad.

There is still some uncertainty regarding the interior structure of Jupiter. One model shows a homogeneous interior with no solid surface, with density increasing gradually toward the core. Alternatively Jupiter may possess a dense, rocky core with a mass of up to twelve times the Earth's total mass; roughly 3% of the total mass.The core region is surrounded by dense metallic hydrogen, which extends outward to about 78% of the radius of the planet. Rain-like droplets of helium and neon precipitate downward through this layer, depleting the abundance of these elements in the upper atmosphere.

Above the layer of metallic hydrogen lies a transparent interior atmosphere of liquid hydrogen and gaseous hydrogen, with the gaseous portion extending downward from the cloud layer to a depth of about 1,000 km. Instead of a clear boundary or surface between these different phases of hydrogen, there may be a smooth gradation from gas to liquid as one descends.

There are also at least 63 moons, including the four large moons called the Galilean moons that were first discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1610.

Ganymede, is the largest moon in the entire solar system at 5262.4 kilometers in diameter. It is the only moon in the solar system known to have a magnetic field it also has a diameter greater than that of the planet Mercury.
Io is the fourth largest moon in the solar system, is the most volcanically active body in the solar system, has had the largest recorded volcanic eruptions, and has the highest density of all the moons in the solar system.
Europa is the smoothest object in the solar system. There is a layer of water surrounding the mantle of the planet, thought to be 100 kilometers thick. The top of the water is ice and under the ice, the water is liquid.
Callisto is the fourth and last Galilean moon, and is the second largest at 4820.6 kilometers in diameter. This moon’s surface lies above a layer of ice, which is 150 kilometers thick, and a layer of water, which is ten kilometers thick. Callisto’s crust is approximately four billion years old.

Along with the Sun, the gravitational influence of Jupiter has helped shape the Solar System. The orbits of most of the system's planets lie closer to Jupiter's orbital plane than the Sun's equatorial plane (Mercury is the only planet that is closer to the Sun's equator in orbital tilt), the Kirkwood gaps in the asteroid belt are mostly due to Jupiter, and the planet may have been responsible for the Late Heavy Bombardment of the inner solar system's history.

Jupiter has been called the solar system's vacuum cleaner, because of its immense gravity well and location near the inner solar system. It receives the most frequent comet impacts of the solar system's planets. In 1994 comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 collided with Jupiter and gave information about the structure of Jupiter. It was thought that the planet served to partially shield the inner system from cometary bombardment. However, recent computer simulations suggest that Jupiter doesn't cause a net decrease in the number of comets that pass through the inner solar system, as its gravity perturbs their orbits inward in roughly the same numbers that it accretes or ejects them.

The fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the solar system. It is two and a half times as massive as all of the other planets in our solar system combined.
	Jupiter, along with Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, is classified as a gas giant. Together, these four planets are sometimes referred to as the Jovian planets, where Jovian is the adjectival form of Jupiter.
Jupiter is 2.5 times more massive than all the other planets in our solar system combined; so massive that its barycenter with the Sun actually lies above the Sun's surface. Although this planet dwarfs the Earth (with a diameter 11 times as great) it is considerably less dense. A volume equal to 1,317 Earths only contains 318 times as much mass.
	The planet Jupiter is primarily composed of hydrogen with a small proportion of helium; it may also have a rocky core of heavier elements. Because of its rapid rotation the planet is an oblate spheroid (it possesses a slight but noticeable bulge around the equator). The outer atmosphere is visibly segregated into several bands at different latitudes, resulting in turbulence and storms along their interacting boundaries. The best known feature of Jupiter is the Great Red Spot, a persistent anticyclonic storm located 22° south of the equator that is larger than Earth. It is known to have been in existence since at least 1831, and possibly since 1665. Mathematical models suggest that the storm is stable and may be a permanent feature of the planet. The storm is large enough to be visible through Earth-based telescopes.
This diagram shows the Trojan Asteroids in Jupiter's orbit, as well as the main asteroid belt. In addition to its moons, Jupiter's gravitational field controls numerous asteroids that have settled into the regions of the Lagrangian points preceding and following Jupiter in its orbit around the sun. These are known as the Trojan asteroids, and are divided into Greek and Trojan "camps" to commemorate the Iliad.
	There is still some uncertainty regarding the interior structure of Jupiter. One model shows a homogeneous interior with no solid surface, with density increasing gradually toward the core. Alternatively Jupiter may possess a dense, rocky core with a mass of up to twelve times the Earth's total mass; roughly 3% of the total mass.The core region is surrounded by dense metallic hydrogen, which extends outward to about 78% of the radius of the planet. Rain-like droplets of helium and neon precipitate downward through this layer, depleting the abundance of these elements in the upper atmosphere. Above the layer of metallic hydrogen lies a transparent interior atmosphere of liquid hydrogen and gaseous hydrogen, with the gaseous portion extending downward from the cloud layer to a depth of about 1,000 km. Instead of a clear boundary or surface between these different phases of hydrogen, there may be a smooth gradation from gas to liquid as one descends.
There are also at least 63 moons, including the four large moons called the Galilean moons that were first discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1610. Ganymede, is the largest moon in the entire solar system at 5262.4 kilometers in diameter. It is the only moon in the solar system known to have a magnetic field it also has a diameter greater than that of the planet Mercury. Io is the fourth largest moon in the solar system, is the most volcanically active body in the solar system, has had the largest recorded volcanic eruptions, and has the highest density of all the moons in the solar system. Europa is the smoothest object in the solar system. There is a layer of water surrounding the mantle of the planet, thought to be 100 kilometers thick. The top of the water is ice and under the ice, the water is liquid. Callisto is the fourth and last Galilean moon, and is the second largest at 4820.6 kilometers in diameter. This moon’s surface lies above a layer of ice, which is 150 kilometers thick, and a layer of water, which is ten kilometers thick. Callisto’s crust is approximately four billion years old.
Along with the Sun, the gravitational influence of Jupiter has helped shape the Solar System. The orbits of most of the system's planets lie closer to Jupiter's orbital plane than the Sun's equatorial plane (Mercury is the only planet that is closer to the Sun's equator in orbital tilt), the Kirkwood gaps in the asteroid belt are mostly due to Jupiter, and the planet may have been responsible for the Late Heavy Bombardment of the inner solar system's history. Jupiter has been called the solar system's vacuum cleaner, because of its immense gravity well and location near the inner solar system. It receives the most frequent comet impacts of the solar system's planets. In 1994 comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 collided with Jupiter and gave information about the structure of Jupiter. It was thought that the planet served to partially shield the inner system from cometary bombardment. However, recent computer simulations suggest that Jupiter doesn't cause a net decrease in the number of comets that pass through the inner solar system, as its gravity perturbs their orbits inward in roughly the same numbers that it accretes or ejects them.

"Giant Among Giants"