The Planet Jupiter

Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system and is often referred to as a "gas giant" due to its massive size and gaseous composition. Here are some key facts about Jupiter:

Size: Jupiter is so large that over 1,300 Earths could fit inside it. Its diameter is about 142,984 km (88,846 miles).
Mass: It is more than twice as massive as all the other planets in the solar system combined.
Position: It is the fifth planet from the Sun, orbiting at an average distance of 778 million kilometers (484 million miles).

Atmosphere: Jupiter's atmosphere is made mostly of hydrogen (about 90%) and helium (about 10%), with traces of ammonia, methane, water vapor, and other compounds.
Appearance: The planet's clouds form bands of varying colors due to their chemical composition and temperature differences. These bands are known as "zones" (light-colored) and "belts" (dark-colored).
Core: Jupiter likely has a dense core made of rock and metals, surrounded by a layer of metallic hydrogen and helium.

This is a massive, persistent storm that has been raging for at least 350 years, possibly much longer.
It is larger than Earth, with wind speeds exceeding 400 mph (640 km/h).

Rings: Jupiter has faint rings made of dust, discovered by the Voyager spacecraft in 1979.
Moons: Jupiter has at least 95 known moons. The largest four, called the Galilean moons, are:
- Io: The most volcanically active body in the solar system.
- Europa: Believed to have a subsurface ocean beneath its icy crust, making it a candidate for extraterrestrial life.
- Ganymede: The largest moon in the solar system, even larger than Mercury.
- Callisto: Heavily cratered and ancient, it might also harbor a subsurface ocean.

Jupiter has an extremely strong magnetic field, about 20,000 times stronger than Earth's.
Its magnetosphere extends millions of kilometers into space and traps charged particles, creating intense radiation belts.

Several spacecraft have visited Jupiter, including:
- Pioneer 10 and 11: Provided the first close-up images.
- Voyager 1 and 2: Conducted flybys and discovered rings and volcanic activity on Io.
- Galileo: Orbited Jupiter and studied its system in detail.
- Juno: Currently orbiting Jupiter, studying its atmosphere, magnetic field, and internal structure.

A day on Jupiter (rotation period) lasts about 10 hours, making it the fastest-spinning planet in the solar system.
A year on Jupiter (orbital period) is about 12 Earth years.
Jupiter generates more heat internally than it receives from the Sun due to gravitational compression.