Jupiter

Jupiter’s is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than 2.5 times that of all the other planets in the solar system combined and slightly less than 0.001 the mass of the Sun. Its diameter is eleven times that of Earth, and a 0.1 that of the Sun. Jupiter orbits the Sun at a range of 5.20 AU (778.5 Gigameters), with an orbital period of 11.86 years. It is the third-brightest natural object in the night sky of Earth, after the Moon and Venus, and has been observed since ancient times. Its designation derives from that of Jupiter, the chief god of ancient Roman faith.

Jupiter was the first of the Sun’s planets to form, and its inward migration during the initial phase of the Solar System affected much of the formation history of the other planets. Jupiter’s atmosphere consists of 76% hydrogen and 24 percent helium by weight, with a more compact interior. It contains small elements and chemicals like carbon, oxygen, sulfur, neon, ammonia, water vapour, phosphine, hydrogen sulfide, and hydrocarbons. Jupiter’s helium abundance is 80 percent of the Sun’s, comparable to Saturn’s composition. The continuing contraction of Jupiter’s interior generates more energy than the planet gets from the Sun. Its internal structure is believed to consist of an outer mantle of liquid metallic hydrogen and a diffuse inner core of denser material. Because of its fast rate of rotation, one complete rotation in 10 hours, Jupiter is an flattened sphere; it has a small but observable) bulge around the equator. The outer atmosphere is divided into a series of latitude bands, with turbulence and storms along their colliding boundaries; the most obvious result of this is the Great Red Spot, a massive storm that has been recorded since 1831.

Jupiter’s magnetic field is the strongest and 2nd largest contiguous formation in the solar system, generated by circulating currents within the fluid, metallic hydrogen core. The solar wind interacts with the magnetosphere, extending it outwards and affecting the orbit of Jupiter. Jupiter is surrounded by a dim system of rings that were found in 1979 by Voyager 1 and further examined by the Galileo orbiter in the 1990s. The Jovian ring system consists primarily of dust and has 3 main segments: an inner torus of particles known as the halo, a fairly bright main band, and an outer delicate ring. The rings have a reddish colour in sight and near-infrared light. The time period of the rings is unknown, possibly dating back to Jupiter’s formation.

At least 95 natural satellites orbit the planet; the four largest moons—Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto—orbit within the magnetosphere, and were discovered by Galileo in the year 1610. Ganymede, the largest of the 4, is bigger than the planet Mercury. Since the year 1973, Jupiter has been visited by 9 robotic probes: 7 flybys and two dedicated orbiters, with two more en route.