National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Administration

0 300,000,000 900,000,000 1,500,000,000 2,100,000,000 2,700,000,000 3,300,000,000 3,900,000,000 4,500,000,000 5,100,000,000 5,700,000,000 kilometers

Jupiter

www.nasa.gov
The most massive planet in our solar system, with four large pole) are swarms of charged particles. Jupiter’s rings and moons Atmosphere Primary Components hydrogen, helium
moons and many smaller moons, Jupiter forms a kind of min- are embedded in an intense radiation belt of electrons and ions Effective Temperature –148 deg C (–234 deg F)
iature solar system. Jupiter resembles a star in composition. In trapped by the magnetic field. The jovian magnetosphere, com- Known Moons* 49
fact, if it had been about 80 times more massive, it would have prising these particles and fields, balloons 1 to 3 million kilome- Rings 1 (three major components)
become a star rather than a planet. ters (600,000 to 2 million miles) toward the Sun and tapers into
*Plus 13 awaiting official confirmation, total 62, as of September 2009.
a windsock-shaped tail extending more than 1 billion kilometers
On January 7, 1610, using his primitive telescope, astronomer
(600 million miles) behind Jupiter as far as Saturn’s orbit.
Galileo Galilei saw four small “stars” near Jupiter. He had dis- SIGNIFICANT DATES
covered Jupiter’s four largest moons, now called Io, Europa, Discovered in 1979 by NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft, Jupiter’s 1610 — Galileo Galilei makes the first detailed observations of
Ganymede, and Callisto. These four moons are known today as rings were a surprise: a flattened main ring and an inner cloud- Jupiter.
the Galilean satellites. like ring, called the halo, are both composed of small, dark 1973 — Pioneer 10 becomes the first spacecraft to cross the
particles. A third ring, known as the gossamer ring because of its asteroid belt and fly past Jupiter.
Newly discovered moons of Jupiter are reported by astronomers
transparency, is actually three rings of microscopic debris from 1979 — Voyager 1 and 2 discover Jupiter’s faint rings, several
and acknowledged with a temporary designation by the Interna-
three small moons: Amalthea, Thebe, and Adrastea. Data from new moons, and volcanic activity on Io’s surface.
tional Astronomical Union; once their orbits are confirmed, they
the Galileo spacecraft indicate that Jupiter’s ring system may be 1994 — Astronomers observe as pieces of comet Shoemaker–
are included in Jupiter’s large moon count. Including the “tempo-
formed by dust kicked up as interplanetary meteoroids smash Levy 9 collide with Jupiter’s southern hemisphere.
rary” moons, Jupiter has 62 total.
into the giant planet’s four small inner moons. The main ring 1995–2003 — The Galileo spacecraft drops a probe into Jupi-
Galileo would be astonished at what we have learned about probably is composed of material from the moon Metis. Jupiter’s ter’s atmosphere and conducts extended observations of Jupiter
Jupiter and its moons, largely from the NASA mission named rings are only visible when backlit by the Sun. and its moons and rings.
after him. Io is the most volcanically active body in our solar 2007 — Images by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft, on the
In December 1995, NASA’s Galileo spacecraft dropped a probe
system. Ganymede is the largest planetary moon and the only way to Pluto, show new perspectives on Jupiter’s atmospheric
into Jupiter’s atmosphere, which made the first direct measure-
moon in the solar system known to have its own magnetic field. storms, the rings, volcanic Io, and icy Europa.
ments of the planet’s atmosphere. The spacecraft then began a
A liquid ocean may lie beneath the frozen crust of Europa, and 2009 — On July 20, almost exactly 15 years after fragments of
multiyear study of Jupiter and the largest moons. As Galileo be-
icy oceans may also lie beneath the crusts of Callisto and Gany- comet Shoemaker–Levy slammed into Jupiter, a comet or aster-
gan its 29th orbit, the Cassini–Huygens spacecraft was nearing
mede. Jupiter’s appearance is a tapestry of beautiful colors and oid crashes into the giant planet’s southern hemisphere.
Jupiter for a gravity-assist maneuver on the way to Saturn. The
atmospheric features. Most visible clouds are composed of am-
two spacecraft made simultaneous observations of the magne-
monia. Water vapor exists deep below and can sometimes be ABOUT THE IMAGES
tosphere, solar wind, rings, and Jupiter’s auroras.
seen through clear spots in the clouds. The planet’s “stripes” are 1 2 1 A true-color image
dark belts and light zones created by strong east–west winds NASA is planning a mission named Juno (launch expected in of Jupiter taken by the
in Jupiter’s upper atmosphere. Dynamic storm systems rage on 2011) that will conduct an in-depth study from polar orbit around Cassini spacecraft. The
3
Jupiter. The Great Red Spot, a giant spinning storm, has been Jupiter, examining the planet’s chemistry, atmosphere, interior Galilean moon Europa
observed for more than 300 years. In recent years, three storms structure, and magnetosphere. 4 casts a shadow on the
merged to form the Little Red Spot, about half the size of the planet’s cloud tops.
Great Red Spot. FAST FACTS
2 A Voyager 1 image of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot.
The composition of Jupiter’s atmosphere is similar to that of the Namesake King of the Roman gods
Mean Distance from the Sun 778.41 million km 3 An ultraviolet image of a complex, glowing aurora, show-
Sun — mostly hydrogen and helium. Deep in the atmosphere,
(483.68 million mi) ing the main oval centered on the magnetic north pole. Electric
the pressure and temperature increase, compressing the hydro-
Orbit Period 11.8565 Earth years currents generated by Io, Ganymede, and Europa produce emis-
gen gas into a liquid. At depths about a third of the way down,
(4,330.6 Earth days) sions that flow along the magnetic field and appear as bright
the hydrogen becomes metallic and electrically conducting. In
Orbit Eccentricity (Circular Orbit = 0) 0.04839 spots in the image.
this metallic layer, Jupiter’s powerful magnetic field is generated
by electrical currents driven by Jupiter’s fast rotation. At the Orbit Inclination to Ecliptic 1.305 deg 4 A schematic of the components of Jupiter’s intricate ring
center, the immense pressure may support a solid core of rock Inclination of Equator to Orbit 3.12 deg system.
about the size of Earth. Rotation Period 9.92 hr
Equatorial Radius 71,492 km (44,423 mi) FOR MORE INFORMATION
Jupiter’s enormous magnetic field is nearly 20,000 times as Mass 317.82 of Earth’s solarsystem.nasa.gov/jupiter
powerful as Earth’s. Trapped within Jupiter’s magnetosphere (the Density 1.33 g/cm3
area in which magnetic field lines encircle the planet from pole to Gravity 20.87 m/sec2 (68.48 ft/sec2) solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=
Jupiter&Display=Moons

LG-2009-09-573-HQ — JPL 400-1344L 09/09