Jupiter: The Monster Planet With lots of Gas
February 18th, 2011The planet Jupiter stands out as the fifth planet from the sun as well as the largest in this solar system. Jupiter is known as a giant planet with lots of gas ( and when I say gas I am talking about it’s surrounded by huge quantities of hydrogen and helium gases). Because Jupiter doesn’t actually have a solid surface, the planet is known as a gas giant. Below the planet’s outer atmosphere, there is a large liquid sea of hydrogen and water. (But, by sea I don’t mean the kind of sea you can float a boat on because, remember, there is no surface.) Nothing separates the sea and atmosphere, the atmosphere just slowly gets thicker and thicker until it simply becomes part of the sky.
Think you already know a ton regarding the planet Jupiter? Listed below are ten fun facts about the gas giant which you might not know.
1. What is in the Name?
Jupiter was named after the Roman God of the skies, the supreme god within their religion. Jupiter is more or less the Roman equivalent of The Greek god Zeus – the king of all of the gods. Naming the 5th planet after the king of the gods seems sensible; Jupiter hands down is the largest planet in the heavens … why not name it after someone with supreme power?
2. That’s One Monstrous Planet.
It’s difficult to really comprehend precisely how big the planet Jupiter is. Jupiter more or less makes Earth appear like a dwarf planet. If you have a ball that was about the dimensions of a dime, Jupiter is close to the size of a soccer ball. About 1,300 Earths could fit inside Jupiter. Yep. It’s THAT big.
3. There is a whole lot of Mooning Going on.
Astronomers have discovered more than 60 moons orbiting Jupiter. Galileo discovered the 4 largest and most well-known Jupiter moons – named Io, Europa, Ganymede and Calllisto – way back in 1610. Most of these moons are named after the daughters of the Roman god Jupiter. Four Jupiter moons are literally larger than Pluto.
4. Holy Frosty Climate.
The temperature at Jupiter’s cloud tops is around -148 Celcius. This means, if I’ve done my math right, it is about -234 °F. Did you catch that? -234 °F. Holy freezing. But, as you descend towards the planet, the temperature rises. So, not only is Jupiter a very cold planet, it is also a increadably hot one. When you get to the very core of the planet, scientists predict that the temperature could possibly be reach as high as 36,000 Kelvin (that’s 64,340 °F).
5. Bling, Bling. Jupiter Got The Ring.
Bet you did not know Jupiter had rings. The planet actually has three thin rings around the equator. The rings are pretty light and really can only been seen when Jupiter passes in front of the Sun. The light from the Sun lights up the smoke-sized particles and dust, making it possible for us to view Gossamer, Main and Halo ( that is what the rings are named) from Earth.
6. Jupiter’s a Quick Mover.
One would think a planet as huge as Jupiter would move really, really slowly. That is not the truth at all. The planet can rotate very quickly – 9 hours and 55 minutes fast. But, even though it rotates really fast, Jupiter takes almost 12 earth years to rotate around the Sun. Here is a unique fact, because Jupiter rotates so fast, it’s actually flattened out a little bit and is also bulging at the equator.
7. Everything is Heavier on Jupiter.
For those who are not very happy with whatever you weigh now, you really wouldn’t love the opportunity to weigh yourself on Jupiter. Because Jupiter is so very massive, it possesses a ton more gravity – making everything heavier. Those that weigh 140 lbs on Earth, you’d weigh 370 pounds on Jupiter. (I think I’ll stick to weighing myself on Earth.)
8. The Eye of Jupiter.
Jupiter is a pretty stormy planet. In reality, it’s so stormy that a majority of of the storms don’t ever end, or at least that is what researchers say. Every one of the storms within the atmosphere make Jupiter an attractive colorful planet.
Jupiter is renowned for possessing a ‘Great Red Spot’ – a place in which a giant storm has been raging on for over 300 years. This spot is additionally called ‘The Eye of Jupiter’ because of the shape. Oh yeah, and this ‘spot’ is larger than the planet Earth, although scientists say it is shrinking. Astronomers do not know if or when it’ll completely disappear.
9. Jupiter is massive.
No, really, it is gigantic. Like really massive. Jupiter is 318 times the mass of Earth. In the event you combined the mass with all the different other planets in the Solar System and times that by 2.5 then you would get the mass of Jupiter. But, here is something pretty interesting and mind boggling simultaneously. If Jupiter got anymore massive, it’d actually begin to shrink. Adding more mass in the planet would cause it more dense and force it to start pulling in on itself.
10. That’s One Brilliant Planet.
Jupiter is definitely the brightest object within the Solar System … following Venus as well as the Moon. Chances are, you’ve seen Jupiter in the sky and just had no idea that’s what you were taking a look at. Should you ever notice a really bright star high up in the sky, odds are you are watching Jupiter.
Natalie Q. Schnotz has been authoring for blogs and websites for the past several years. When she’s not writing, you will discover her crafting, blogging or sharing skywatching tips with anyone who will listen.
Related Blogs
- Related Blogs on Jupiter
- Jupiter Bound – Transterrestrial Musings
- Related Blogs on jupiter moons
- A Day in History… February 18 — Clyde Tombaugh, 1st Photographed …
- Related Blogs on jupiter the planet
- Planet X (Tyche) Admitted by Scientists on Feb 14, 2011!! |