Jupiter: all about the gas giant planet in 20 questions

The giant and gaseous Jupiter has probably not revealed all its mysteries yet. This planet has played an important role in our understanding of the solar system: in the 17th century, when its largest moons were discovered, we realized that our Moon was not unique and that the Earth was not at the center of everything . The largest of the planets, as charming as it is disturbing with its colorful storms, continues to fascinate.

Here is everything you need to know about the impetuous Jupiter in 20 questions.

The planet Jupiter in the solar system

Jupiter is the fifth planet in the solar system, by its distance from the Sun, and the largest of all the planets.

What is Jupiter’s distance from the Sun?

On average, the distance between the gas giant and the Sun is 778 million kilometers, or about 5.2 astronomical units (one astronomical unit is equivalent to the Earth-Sun distance, or about 150 million kilometers). At this distance, it takes 43 minutes for sunlight to reach Jupiter.

One hypothesis would say that Jupiter was not born in its current orbit, but that it formed further from the Sun, and then migrated towards the interior of the solar system.

What is the distance between Earth and Jupiter?

The distance between Earth and Jupiter varies constantly, as the two planets move in their respective orbits around the Sun.

The distance is smallest when Jupiter is aligned with the Earth and the Sun — it is also said to be at opposition. This happened on August 20, 2021: Jupiter was then at a distance of 4.013 astronomical units, or about 600 million kilometers, from Earth.

How long is the trip to Jupiter?

The duration of the trip to Jupiter is not fixed, since the two planets move in their orbits. In addition, this duration depends on the final objective: it takes about 600 days if you simply want to fly over the planet, but rather 2,000 days if the goal is to place yourself in orbit around it.

The characteristics of Jupiter

Its imposing size, tumultuous climate and numerous satellites are some of the defining characteristics of Jupiter.

How big is Jupiter?

Jupiter’s diameter is estimated at 139,822 kilometers, or 11 times the size of Earth.

What is the mass of Jupiter?

The mass of Jupiter is 1,898,130,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 kilograms. We can also write that Jupiter is 1.9 × 10²⁷ kg, or the equivalent of 318 earth masses.

Jupiter is more than twice as massive as all the other planets in the solar system added together.

Where does the name Jupiter come from?

Just like Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, Jupiter has been a known planet for a long time because it is visible to the naked eye. Its name refers to the Roman god Jupiter who rules the sky. This name was probably chosen because the brilliance, whiteness and slowness of Jupiter could make one think of the king of the gods.

Is Jupiter rocky or gaseous?

Jupiter is known to be a gas giant planet, as opposed to the so-called rocky planets (or telluric, which are Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars). The gaseous planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune) are essentially formed of hydrogen and helium. They are also called the Jovian planets, in reference to Jupiter. Massive and voluminous, they are not very dense.

What does Jupiter’s surface look like?

Since Jupiter is a gas giant, it does not have a true solid surface, like Earth. The planet is formed mostly of swirling gases and liquids. A probe would have no place to land on Jupiter. Either way, the pressure and temperatures are so extreme deep within Jupiter that a ship would melt and vaporize.

Is there life on Jupiter?

Jupiter seems rather inhospitable to accommodate a form of life, at least as we imagine it. Pressure and temperatures are extreme on the giant, which seems highly incompatible with the development of organisms.

On the other hand, the question is much more relevant in the environment close to Jupiter: some of its moons have characteristics that open up the possibility of habitability. Europa, with its vast ocean presumably lodged under an icy crust, appears to be a promising target.

Is there water on Jupiter?

There is water on Jupiter. Thanks to NASA’s Juno mission, it has even been possible to estimate the quantity of water present in the planet’s atmosphere: at the equator, water would represent approximately 0.25% of the molecules of Jupiter’s warm atmosphere.

What is the temperature of Jupiter?

The temperature on Jupiter is estimated between -161 and -108°C.

What are the climatic conditions on Jupiter?

Jupiter’s axis of rotation is only very slightly inclined with respect to the plane of its orbit around the Sun, barely 3°. The planet therefore rotates almost vertically and its seasonal variations are less extreme than on other celestial bodies (like the Earth).

Jupiter is carpeted with cloud bands and patches. Scientists believe that the star must have three different cloud layers, spread over 71 kilometers.

• The upper layer would be composed of ammonia in frozen form,
• The intermediate layer would be formed of ammonium hydrosulphide, in the form of crystals,
• The bottom layer would be made up of ice and water vapour.

As for the colors that can be distinguished in the bands of the planet, they would be gas plumes containing sulfur or phosphorus. It is because of the very rapid rotation of the planet that the clouds separate into more or less dark bands. Since there is no solid surface, spots can persist for years on Jupiter. Some of its storms located at the equator can evolve up to 539 kilometers per hour.

What is Jupiter’s Great Red Spot?

The Great Red Spot is probably the most famous of all of Jupiter’s storms. This swirling oval, twice the size of Earth, has been observed for centuries. The enormous anticyclone, sometimes nicknamed “the Jovian eye”, culminates at 13,000 kilometers in altitude. Astronomers still do not know how to explain precisely how this structure was formed or how it has maintained itself until now.

How long is a day on Jupiter?

It is on Jupiter that we find the shortest day of the planets of the solar system: it lasts only 9 hours and 55 minutes. This is the time it takes for the gas giant to spin around. Due to its rapid rotation, Jupiter is even flattened at the poles and bulging at its equator.

How long is a year on Jupiter?

A year on Jupiter, the time it takes for the planet to make a complete revolution around the Sun (also known as a Jovian year) is equivalent to 12 Earth years, or 4,333 days.

What is the gravity on Jupiter?

On the surface of Jupiter, gravity is approximately 2.5 times that of Earth.

Does Jupiter have satellites and rings?

Jupiter is well surrounded, even if it is a little less so than Saturn: it has (at least) 79 moons in orbit around it, of which 53 have received an official name. The other 26 are therefore “provisional” moons, as their discovery still needs to be confirmed. The first were discovered in 1610 by Galileo, and thus bear the name of Galilean satellites: they are Io, Europe, Ganymede and Callisto.

We also know that Jupiter has a system of rings, discovered in 1979, the origin of which is not completely understood. They appear to be made of comet dust. It is possible that they formed with the bombardment of meteoroids on Jupiter’s moons, which would have helped to eject material into space.

Why can Jupiter be compared to a mini solar system?

For several reasons, Jupiter can be thought of as a kind of mini solar system. First of all, its composition is close to that of a star (mainly hydrogen and helium, like the Sun). Added to this are the many moons that surround it, as well as a system of rings. Finally, the planet is launched into a celestial ballet with the Trojan asteroids, which share the orbit of Jupiter (following and preceding the planet) – a mission called Lucy is directed towards these objects.

The study and exploration of Jupiter

With the naked eye, binoculars or using powerful observatories, Jupiter is a target that delights amateur and professional astronomers. Several missions also went to explore it more closely.

How can we observe Jupiter?

Jupiter is one of the planets in the solar system that can be observed without an instrument, with the naked eye. According to conjunctions with other planets or the Moon, certain astronomical events can even help to locate it more easily in the sky. When Jupiter is at opposition, it can be a good time to try to observe it. If you have a pair of binoculars, you can sometimes even try to use them to spot the biggest moons on the planet.

Astronomers obviously use telescopes to study Jupiter. They were thus able to see a rather spectacular event in 1994: a collision between the planet and a comet, Shoemaker-Levy 9. Subsequently, other impacts of this kind were seen.

What missions did Jupiter explore?

Jupiter and its surroundings have been approached by several missions. The first overflights took place in the 1970s.

Here is the list of the various missions that have explored it (Jupiter was either their final target or on their way), and their current status.

Currently, only Juno is still exploring Jupiter, on behalf of NASA, regularly offering superb shots of the planet. There will now be the JUICE mission. Launched in April 2023, this European Space Agency mission targets the icy moons of Jupiter, with an arrival in 2031. JUICE’s journey can be followed in real time.

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