Pictures of the Planet Jupiter
- Lessons in Astronomy -

Basic Information About the Planet Jupiter

Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and takes 11.86 years to complete its orbit around the Sun. It turns on its axis every 9 hours and 55 minutes. The mean distance of Jupiter from the Sun is 483.7 million miles. Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system. The striped appearance of Jupiter is due to bands of clouds created by strong winds in the upper atmosphere. This planet's atmosphere consists mainly of hydrogen and helium. It is thought that its core is a dense hot liquid. Jupiter has a main ring and an inner cloud-like ring, called the halo. Both are made up of small, rocky particles. Outside the main ring is a group of three rings,
which together are called the gossamer ring. According to NASA's fact sheet, the gossamer ring consists of tiny particles of debris from the moons Amalthea, Thebe, and Adrastea. The diameter of Jupiter is 88,846 miles and its gravity is 2.36 times that of Earth. This planet's temperature is about -220 degrees Fahrenheit (-140 C) at the top of the clouds and may be as much as 54,000 degrees F (30,000 C) near its center. Including the eleven new moons discovered in 2001, Jupiter has 39 known moons.


Picture of Planet Jupiter by Voyager 2


	Jupiter (color-enhanced by USGS to bring out details)




Picture of Planet Jupiter by Cassini Orbiter


	Jupiter and its largest moon Ganymede




Pictures of Jupiter and Io by Voyager 1


	Jupiter's Great Red Spot and White Ovals




	Jupiter's Satellite Io At 5 Million Miles



All images are courtesy NASA/JPL

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Pictures of the Planet Jupiter - Lessons in Astronomy -

Pictures of the Planet Jupiter
- Lessons in Astronomy -