Jupiter

Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, and slightly less than one one-thousandth the mass of the Sun. Jupiter orbits the Sun at a distance of 5.20 AU (778.5 Gm) with an orbital period of 11.86 years. Jupiter is the third brightest natural object in the Earth's night sky after the Moon and Venus, and it has been observed since prehistoric times. It was named after Jupiter, the chief deity of ancient Roman religion.

Jupiter
Full disk view of Jupiter in natural colour, with the shadow of its largest moon Ganymede cast onto it and the Great Red Spot at the left horizon.
Designations
Pronunciation/ˈpɪtər/
Named after
Jupiter
AdjectivesJovian /ˈviən/
Symbol
Orbital characteristics
Epoch J2000
Aphelion5.4570 AU (816.363 million km)
Perihelion4.9506 AU (740.595 million km)
5.2038 AU (778.479 million km)
Eccentricity0.0489
398.88 d
13.07 km/s (8.12 mi/s)
20.020°
Inclination
100.464°
21 January 2023
273.867°
Known satellites95 (as of 2023)
Physical characteristics
Mean radius
69,911 km (43,441 mi)
10.973 of Earth's
Equatorial radius
71,492 km (44,423 mi)
11.209 R🜨 (of Earth's)
0.10045 R (of Sun's)
Polar radius
66,854 km (41,541 mi)
10.517 of Earth's
Flattening0.06487
6.1469×1010 km2 (2.3733×1010 sq mi)
120.4 of Earth's
Volume1.4313×1015 km3 (3.434×1014 cu mi)
1,321 of Earth's
Mass1.8982×1027 kg (4.1848×1027 lb)
  • 317.8 of Earth's
  • 1/1047 of Sun's
Mean density
1.326 g/cm3 (0.0479 lb/cu in)
24.79 m/s2 (81.3 ft/s2)
2.528 g
0.2756±0.0006
59.5 km/s (37.0 mi/s)
9.9258 h (9 h 55 m 33 s)
9.9250 hours (9 h 55 m 30 s)
Equatorial rotation velocity
12.6 km/s (7.8 mi/s; 45,000 km/h)
3.13° (to orbit)
North pole right ascension
268.057°; 17h 52m 14s
North pole declination
64.495°
Albedo0.503 (Bond)
0.538 (geometric)
Temperature88 K (−185 °C) (blackbody temperature)
Surface temp. min mean max
1 bar 165 K
0.1 bar 78 K 128 K
−2.94 to −1.66
−9.4
29.8" to 50.1"
Atmosphere
Surface pressure
200–600 kPa (30–90 psi)
(opaque cloud deck)
27 km (17 mi)
Composition by volume

    Jupiter was the first planet to form, and its inward migration during the primordial Solar System impacted much of the formation history of the other planets. Jupiter is primarily composed of hydrogen (90% by volume), followed by helium, which makes up a quarter of its mass and a tenth of its volume. The ongoing contraction of Jupiter's interior generates more heat than the planet receives from the Sun. Its internal structure is believed to consist of an outer mantle of fluid metallic hydrogen, and a diffuse inner core of denser material. Because of its rapid rotation rate of 1 rotation per 10 hours, Jupiter's shape is an oblate spheroid: it has a slight but noticeable bulge around the equator. The outer atmosphere is divided into a series of latitudinal bands, with turbulence and storms along their interacting boundaries. The most obvious result of this is the Great Red Spot, a giant storm which has been observed since 1831 and possibly earlier.

    Jupiter is surrounded by a faint planetary ring system and has a powerful magnetosphere, the second largest contiguous structure in the Solar System (after the heliosphere). Jupiter forms a system of 95 known moons and probably many more, including the four large moons discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1610: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. Ganymede, the largest of the four, is larger than the planet Mercury. Callisto is the second largest; Io and Europa are approximately the size of Earth's Moon.

    Since 1973, Jupiter has been visited by nine robotic probes: seven flybys and two dedicated orbiters, with one more en route and one awaiting launch.

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