Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet in the entire Solar system. Its mass is slightly smaller than the Sun’s one-thousandth mass.
Jupiter is mostly made of hydrogen and helium gases, similar to the Sun, and doesn’t have a solid surface like Earth.
It’s known for its dramatic features, such as the Great Red Spot, a massive storm bigger than our entire planet, and its colorful bands of clouds.
Jupiter has a strong magnetic field and at least 79 moons, with four big ones called Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. Want to know more about surprising facts? No worries, this article is just for you! Keep reading.
Interesting Jupiter Facts:
Jupiter Is the Largest Planet in The Entire Solar System
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet in the entire solar system. This gas giant does not have a solid surface and mainly comprises gasses. Its diameter is 139,822 km or 86,881 miles.
Jupiter Spins the Fastest Around Its Own Axis
Jupiter spins around its axis at a speed of around 12 km per second, while Earth can only spin around its axis at a speed of around 0.47 km per second.
This also gives Jupiter the shortest days among all planets in the solar system. Thus, one day on Jupiter is less than ten hours on Earth.
Jupiter Protects the Inner Solar System, According to Many Scientists
According to some scientists, many asteroids and comets that would have entered the inner part of the system get caught by the gravity of Jupiter.
Hence, being pulled in, these asteroids and comets impact Jupiter instead of rocky planets like Earth. However, some scientists have not approved of this theory.
They say Jupiter has no real effect on the asteroids and comets entering the inner system. They say that Jupiter’s gravity pulls those objects from the outer system and then throws them into the inner system.
Jupiter’s Inner Mantle Is Made of Metallic Hydrogen
This results from the incredible pressure and heat that lie deep inside Jupiter. Under those conditions, Hydrogen gas turns into a liquid substance with metallic properties.
Metallic hydrogen cannot usually exist outside of those circumstances, and scientists cannot replicate it even in a lab. This metallic hydrogen present in Jupiter’s inner mantle also generates the planet’s monstrously powerful magnetic field.
Planet Jupiter Has a Core
Though its actual composition remains unknown, a mission to Jupiter in 2016 revealed that the core wasn’t in one piece.
According to scientists, a planet almost ten times the size of the Earth smashed into Jupiter billions of years ago, eventually fragmenting its core.
Jupiter’s Atmosphere Is the Thickest Among the Planets
According to scientists, Jupiter’s atmosphere has a depth of 5000 km. Even then, Jupiter, the gas giant of our solar system, technically doesn’t have a solid surface, unlike the way that planet Earth and other rocky planets do.
Instead, scientists mark the end of the atmosphere at a depth where its pressure can hit 100 kPa.
Jupiter’s outer mantle is made up of liquid hydrogen:
Another consequence of the incredible pressure and heat inside planet Jupiter is the presence of liquid hydrogen in its outer mantle.
However, liquid hydrogen is less rare than metallic hydrogen because it can be produced in industrial amounts.
Actually, today, liquid hydrogen is one of the most commonly used rocket fuels in our world.
The Clouds of Jupiter Form only A Thin Layer of Its Atmosphere
While planet Jupiter has a dense atmosphere, scientists think that Jupiter’s clouds only span 50 km deep.
These clouds of this giant planet are mainly composed of ammonium hydrosulphide and ammonia. Moreover, scientists believe a thinner layer of water clouds is under ammonia.
Depending on this hypothesis, these water clouds create storms inside the atmosphere of Jupiter, created by the same procedure that is the reason behind the storms on planet Earth.
The Magnetic Field of Jupiter Is the Strongest Among All Planets
Similar to Earth’s core, Jupiter’s core is made of an active, swirling molten substance whose motion can generate a powerful magnetic field.
According to NASA measurements, Jupiter’s magnetic field is at least 14 times stronger than Earth’s. This makes Jupiter’s magnetic field the most powerful in the solar system.
The Great Red Spot Is a Powerful Storm on Jupiter
In terms of area, the Great Red Spot in Jupiter is a lot bigger than planet Earth. This spot measures 16,350 km or 1.3 times wider than the Earth at its equator.
Like the storms on Earth, it has a calm state that is surrounded by slower winds that grow much faster and stronger further out.
Today, scientists believe that the outer layers of this storm move at a speed of around 680 km per hour. In contrast, Typhoon Tip, the strongest storm ever recorded on Earth, only reached a maximum of 305 km per hour.
Astronomers first spotted the Great Red Spot in the 17th century
The Great Red Spot is also considered to be the longest ongoing storm ever recorded. The first sighting was recorded by 1665, meaning the Great Red Spot had raged for at least 355 years.
Even then, scientists aren’t sure enough about whether the storm existed before this discovery. This means that its original age may be a lot older.
Jupiter Has the Four Largest Moons in The Solar System
In the year 1610, Galileo Galilei observed four big objects orbiting around the planet Jupiter. At that time, people did not believe his claims seriously, and the most famous scientists rejected the discovery of Galileo Galilei.
However, those satellites turned out to be the moons of Jupiter, named Callisto, Io, Ganymede, and Europa. Before long, scientists renamed these moons the Galilean satellites to honor Galileo.
Jupiter and Its Moon Io Generate Radio Waves
Jupiter and one of its moons, Io, generate radio waves that are strong enough to be picked up from Earth.
These powerful radio waves result from interactions between planet Jupiter and its satellite Io. As Io orbits Jupiter, its many volcanoes dump a huge amount of sulfur dioxide into the space around Jupiter.
Once this element reacts with the ions of hydrogen present in Jupiter’s atmosphere, it creates a layer of plasma around the equator of this planet. Combined with the magnetic field of Jupiter, electrons present in the plasma can form these powerful radio waves.
Ganymede Is the Biggest Moon in The Solar System
Jupiter’s biggest satellite, with a 5268 km width, is bigger than Mercury. Many scientists believe that a mix of ice and rock makes up its crust with an ocean underneath.
Many scientists even propose that this ocean might be up to 800 km deep, offering Ganymede the most water of any planet in the solar system.
Also, there is a geologically active mantle under this ocean that surrounds both a molten outer core and a solid inner core that is made from iron. Hence, Ganymede’s core generates a magnetic field.
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