Quickie Questions - Solar System - Jupiter and Its Moons
| Date Answered | Questioner (age, location) | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 10, 2010 | Cindy (Republic of the Congo) | What is Jupiter's weather day and night? | We don't know yet as much detail about this giant planet's weather, but what we know is that Jupiter not only has the most dymanic atmospheric motion (including zonal winds which flow west to east, and east to west again), but also the most riveting cloud patterns and storms. |
| April 23, 2010 | Katie (IL,USA) | what is Jupiter's diameter? | Jupiter's diameter is 142,800 km (88,736 miles) |
| April 22, 2010 | conner (noeth corlina) | how to live on jupiter | Jupiter is one of the gas planets, with temperatures at cloud tops of about -150oC (-101oF). Jupiter's interior composition is primarily that of simple molecules such as hydrogen and helium, which are liquids under the high pressure environments found in the interiors of the outer planets, and not solids. As you can see, it would be very hard to live there! |
| March 29, 2010 | jennifer (canada) | Is there 100 year old storm on jupiter? | Jupiter's Great Red Spot is a storm that has been present for centuries, first observed by Galileo 400 years ago. The storm lies in the southern hemisphere and is about 30,000 kilometers by 14,000 kilometers, much larger than the planet Earth! |
| March 10, 2010 | Jenna (Iowa, US) | What is the minimum distance from Jupiter and its moon, Io? | Jupiter's large moons Europa and Ganymede perturb Io's orbit into an irregularly elliptical one. Io follows an orbit at a mean distance of 422,000 kilometers (262,000 miles) from Jupiter. It closest point (periapsis) is 420,000 km (0.002 807 AU), and its farthest (apoapsis) is 423,400 km (0.002 830 AU). |
| February 23, 2010 | mikyla (ks) | what is the average temperature on jupiter | Jupiter's Temperature at Cloud Tops is -150oC (-101oF). |
| February 23, 2010 | sammmy (usa) | how was jupiter discoverd? | Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system. It is also one of the brighter objects in the night sky. No one knows for sure who discovered . |
| February 9, 2010 | alex (un) | what are all the names for Jupiter's moons?!?! | The best known are the four Galilean satellites; Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. Other moons, in order of their distance from Jupiter, are: Metis, Adrastea, Amalthea, Thebe, Themisto, S/2003 J6, S/2003 J1, Leda, Himalia, Lysithea, Elara, S/2000 J11, S/2003 J20, S/2003 J3, S/2003 J12, S/2001 J10, S/2003 J18, S/2003 J16, S/2001 J7, Harpalyke, Praxidike, S/2001 J9, Ananke, S/2001 J3, Iocaste, S/2001 J2, S/2003 J15, S/2003 J17, S/2003 J11, S/2003 J9, Carme, S/2003 J19, S/2001 J6, S/2002 J1, S/2001 J8, Chaldene, Isonone, S/2001 J4, S/2003 J4, Erinome, Taygete, Pasiphae, S/2001 J11, Kalyke, Sinope, Magaclite, S/2003 J7, S/2001 J5, S/2003 J13, S/2003 J5, S/2001 J1, Callirrhoe, S/2003 J10, S/2003 J8, S/2003 J14, and S/2003 J2. |
| February 1, 2010 | Imran (Pakistan) | why does the time taken for different moons of jupiter to orbit the planet range from a few hours to several years? | Jupiter's moons orbit at different distances, which is one of the determing factors for the oribtal period. This table of Moons in our Solar System could help you to compare them against other moons. |
| January 25, 2010 | Anisha (Memphis,TN) | How many Jupiters can fit inside the sun? | In the most efficient way, a little over 900 Jupiters could fit inside the Sun. |
| January 12, 2010 | erin (PA) | What is the high and low of jupiters temouture? i need this as soon as possible please! | The Average Temperature at Cloud Tops in Jupiter is -150oC (-101oF). |
| December 16, 2009 | jessica (usa) | What is the surface area of Jupiter? | Jupiter's diameter is 142 800 km. Assuming an spherical shape we can use the well expression A = 2 Pi d2, where Pi = 3.14. The application of these values results in a Jupiter's surface area of 128 060 755 200 km2. |
| September 30, 2009 | Lena (New Mexico) | What is the probable source of the day-to-day variations in Jupiter's belts and zones? | Jupiter's belts and zones are a result of the extremely complex vertical atmospheric structure. The deepest cloud layer form a cloud bank, on top there is a clear region. Above this are ammonium hydrosulfide clouds, that receive a constant liquid ammonia rain from a higher level of ammonia clouds. Finally, a high-altitude smog layer covers the whole planet. The dynamic of this system creates the belts and zones visible in the surface of the planet. |
| August 25, 2009 | robert (washington) | what is the largest planet | Jupiter, the fifth planet from the Sun is the largest planet in the Solar System. |
| August 25, 2009 | Justis (Qld,Australia) | Are some of Jupiters moons bigger then Pluto? | Yes! For example, Ganymede is the largest moon in the Solar System. Ganymede is larger in diameter than Mercury and much larger than Pluto. |
| August 20, 2009 | morgan (usa) | is it true there might be a third red spot on jupiter? (help me, i have to do a report on jupiter!) | Yes, there is a third red spot. The spot, previously a white storm, appeared red in Hubble Space Telescope images taken on 2008. This article offers more information. |
| August 10, 2009 | janique (germany) | what inside jupiter | The Giant planets do not have the same layered structure that the terrestrial planets do. Their evolution was quite different than that of the terrestrial planets, and they have less solid material. Jupiter's interior composition is primarily that of simple molecules such as hydrogen and helium, which are liquids under the high pressure environments found in the interiors of the outer planets, and not solids. |
| August 6, 2009 | James (misouri) | How big is Jupiter? | Jupiter's diameter is 142 800 km (88 736 miles). |
| July 17, 2009 | AIEX (CALIFORNIA) | CAN PEOPAUL LIVE ON JUPITER | Giant planets have a different structure that the Rocky (or Terrestrial) planets. Their evolution was quite different than that of the terrestrial planets, and they have less solid material. Jupiter's interior composition is primarily that of simple molecules such as hydrogen and helium, which are liquids under the high pressure environments found in the interiors of the outer planets, and not solids. It would be very difficult to live under these conditions. |
| April 28, 2009 | anita (nj, usa) | WHO IS JUPITER'S DAD. SOMEONE SAID IT WAS SATURN | In Roman mythology, Jupiter was the king of heaven and Earth and of all the Olympian gods. He was also known as the god of justice. He is a son of Saturn and brother of Neptune and Juno (who is also his wife). |
| April 17, 2009 | marvin (maryland) | what is jupiters period of rotation | Jupiter's rotation period about axis is 9.8 hours, its revolution period about the Sun is 12 earth-years. |
| April 16, 2009 | Elizabeth (N.C) | Is the red spot on Jupiter the same size as earth or bigger. | Earth diameter is 12,753 km (7,926 miles). The distance across Jupiter's Great Red Spot is 40,000 km (24,860 miles), more than three times the diameter of our planet! |
| April 16, 2009 | Johanna (Namibia) | Is ther people living at jupiter and whats the temperature ther? | Scientists have not found life of any kind in Jupiter. Temperatures at Jupiter's cloud tops are around -150º C (-101º F). |
| March 25, 2009 | Lila (USA/Arizona) | How is the magnetosphere like on Jupiter? | Jupiter's magnetosphere is very special. It is the biggest thing in the entire solar system. Not only is it big enough to hold all of Jupiter's moons, but the sun itself could fit inside. It goes all the way to Saturn. If it could be seen at night, it would be as big in the sky as the full moon. |
| March 24, 2009 | Nicole (Az/USA) | What is the motion of Jupiter? | Jupiter completes a full rotation on his own axis in 9.8 hours, and has a revolution period about the Sun of 12 years. |
| March 24, 2009 | KitKat (USA) | What is the magnetospere on Jupiter? | Please, visit our web page A Look at Jupiter's Magnetosphere for a discussion on this topic. |
| March 23, 2009 | william (mo/usa) | if jupitor is a gas ball/planet how could therte be a volcano in/on it?? | Actually it is Io, one of Jupiter´s moons, where a volcano eruption was possibly seen. Visit this page for a picture and accompaning text. |
| March 2, 2009 | Ardhendu (Andhra Pradesh, India) | What is the magnetic field of Jupiter? | Jupiter's magnetosphere is a unique object in the solar system. It is the biggest object in the entire solar system. Not only is it big enough to contain all of Jupiter's moons, but the sun itself could also fit inside. It extends past the orbit of Saturn, and Saturn itself sometimes passes through it. If it could be seen at night, it would be as big in the sky as the full moon. More information can be found in our web page An Overview of Jupiter's Magnetosphere. |
| February 24, 2009 | Jamie (New York) | What are the names of Jupiter's moon ? | Jupiter's moon are the so-called four Galilean satellites; Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. There are many others: Metis, Adrastea, Amalthea, Thebe, Themisto, S/2003 J6, S/2003 J1, Leda, Himalia, Lysithea, Elara, S/2000 J11, S/2003 J20, S/2003 J3, S/2003 J12, S/2001 J10, S/2003 J18, S/2003 J16, S/2001 J7, Harpalyke, Praxidike, S/2001 J9, Ananke, S/2001 J3, Iocaste, S/2001 J2, S/2003 J15, S/2003 J17, S/2003 J11, S/2003 J9, Carme, S/2003 J19, S/2001 J6, S/2002 J1, S/2001 J8, Chaldene, Isonone, S/2001 J4, S/2003 J4, Erinome, Taygete, Pasiphae, S/2001 J11, Kalyke, Sinope, Magaclite, S/2003 J7, S/2001 J5, S/2003 J13, S/2003 J5, S/2001 J1, Callirrhoe, S/2003 J10, S/2003 J8, S/2003 J14, and S/2003 J2. |
| February 24, 2009 | Alan (Israel) | Why is Jupiter so bright? Is it reflecting the sun? If yes why is it so much brighter than the moon? If not then what is it? | Jupiter is so bright in the sky because its huge size, which reflects an enormous amount of sunlight. Some times, when it is in opposition, it is even brighter. |
| February 18, 2009 | Tsentop (Sweden) | what are the evidence of water been on jupiter | There are trace amounts of water in the cloud tops of Jupiter's atmosphere, but NASA's Galileo spacecraft discovered that there is much less water than scientists were expecting to find. |
| February 17, 2009 | jordan (alabama/usa) | does jupiter have rings. | Jupiter has a series of rings circling it! Unlike Saturn's rings, which are clearly visible from Earth even through small telescopes, Jupiter's rings are very difficult to see. So difficult, in fact, that they weren't discovered until a few years ago. Jupiter's rings were first found by the Voyager 1 spacecraft in 1979. More information on our website Rings of Jupiter. |
| February 11, 2009 | Tsentop (Stockholm) | what are the evidence to prove that there is water on Jupiter. | There are trace amounts of water in the cloud tops of Jupiter's atmosphere, but NASA's Galileo spacecraft discovered that there is much less water than scientists were expecting to find. |
| February 4, 2009 | Ashley (Oklahoma U.S.A.) | what was the exact date that Galileo found Jupiter? | Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system. It is also one of the brighter objects in the night sky. No one knows for sure who discovered Jupiter. |
| February 4, 2009 | Ashley (Kansas U.S.A.) | How much longer will the great red spot last on Jupiter? | Jupiter's Great Red Spot is enormous (three Earths would fit within its boundaries) and it has persisted for at least the 400 years that humans have observed it through telescopes. It is impossible to predict, with today knowledge, how much longer it would last. |
| January 23, 2009 | amanda (colorado,usa) | whats the distance between jupiter and its moons | Jupiter has four large moons and dozens of smaller ones (there are about 60 known moons so far). Galileo first discovered the four largest moons of Jupiter, Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto in 1610; these moons are known as the Galilean moons. Io's mean distance from Jupiter is 220,000 miles (422,000 km). Europa's mean distance from Jupiter is about 420,000 miles (670,900 km). Ganymede orbits Jupiter at a mean distance of 664,000 miles (1,070,000 km). Callisto orbits Jupiter at a mean distance of 1,170,000 miles (1,883,000 km). |
| January 21, 2009 | lana (kentucky/u.s.a.) | how much smaller is earth that jupiter? | Earth diameter is 12 753 km (7,926 miles), while Jupiter's is 142 800 km (88,736 miles), more than 10 times bigger that our planet! |
| November 6, 2008 | Ivan (singapore) | Why Great Red Spot is significant to scientist? | The Great Red Spot is a great anti-cyclonic (high pressure) storm similar, although in a very different scale (three Earths would fit within its boundaries), to a hurricane on Earth. It has persisted for at least the 400 years that humans have observed it through telescopes. |
| November 6, 2008 | Alex (Malaysia) | May I know why planet Jupiter is not visible during 29 June 2008 to 7 July 2008? | Because of Jupiter's position in the sky from 29 June to 7 July, the Hubble Space Telescope was unable to take pictures of an interesting event, Jupiter's third giant red storm has been chewed up by a collision with the planet's other two red spots and does not appear to have survived. |
| October 21, 2008 | (philippines) | what would life be on jupiter? | Life in Jupiter would be very hard. Jupiter, as the rest of the Giant Planets, does not have the same layered structure that the terrestrial planets do. Their evolution was quite different than that of the terrestrial planets, and they have less solid material. Jupiter's interior composition is primarily that of simple molecules such as hydrogen and helium, which are liquids under the high pressure environments found in the interiors of the outer planets, and not solids. |
| September 30, 2008 | zanzi (usa) | if i am 110 lbs, how much would i be on jupiter | Jupiter's surface gravity is 23.12 m/s2, or 2.64 x Earth's. Su your wait oon Jupiter surface would be 110 x 2.64 = 290.4 lbs. |
| September 29, 2008 | Nicole (China) | Does Jupiter have water or breathable air? | Jupiter's interior composition is primarily that of simple molecules such as hydrogen and helium, which are liquids under the high pressure environments found in the interiors of the outer planets, and not solids. Jupiter's atmosphere includes complicated molecules such as ammonia and methane, as well as simple molecules such as helium, hydrogen, and sulfur. The composition also includes exotic molecules such as germain. |
| September 17, 2008 | Mirna (Australia) | How long does it take for Jupiter to rotate on its own axis? | Jupiter's rotation period about its axis is 9.8 hours |
| September 1, 2008 | Phoebe (England) | Who discovered Jupiter, I can't find the answer anywhere and I need it fora group project. | Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system. It is also one of the brighter objects in the night sky. No one knows for sure who discovered Jupiter, but we know the ancient Greeks named him after the god, Zeus. |
| June 23, 2008 | Jessica (kansas/ United States of America) | What causes the color of Jupiter? | The dramatic appearance of Jupiter stems partially because the composition of Jupiter's atmosphere includes complicated molecules such as ammonia and methane, as well as simple molecules such as helium, hydrogen, and sulfur. The composition also includes exotic molecules such as germain. |
| May 23, 2008 | magie | how many days does it take jupiter to orbit around the sun? | Jupiter revolution period about the Sun (Jupiter's year) equals 12 Earth's years. In other words, when Jupiter finihes one rotation around the Sun, Earth has already made 12. |
| May 22, 2008 | Helana () | What is Jupiter made of ? | The Giant planets do not have the same layered structure that the terrestrial planets do. Their evolution was quite different than that of the terrestrial planets, and they have less solid material. Jupiter's interior composition is primarily that of simple molecules such as hydrogen and helium, which are liquids under the high pressure environments found in the interiors of the outer planets, and not solids. |
| May 22, 2008 | kadeidra (united states) | what did galileo do when he reached jupiter? | Galileo was the first to observe Jupiter through a telescope of his own invention. He discovered Jupiter's four largest moons — Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto, now called the Galilean moons. |
| May 2, 2008 | Sundar (Mumbai, India) | I saw all the satellite images of Jupiter and its moons. But these images are colourful. Are these really colourful when we are in space or these are colour enhanced photographs? | I am not sure what pictures you were looking at, but there are many full real color pictures of the Jovian system, as well as many color enhanced ones. |
| April 18, 2008 | Roxy (new jersey) | what is the ave tempture on Jupiter | The average temperature at loud tops in Jupier is -150oC (-101oF) |
| April 17, 2008 | michael (virginia) | how long did Galileo spacecraft explore Jupiter's moons? | The Galileo spacecraft was launched the 18th of October, 1998. The "End of Mission" was on Sept. 9.21.03, after 34 orbits around Jupiter, and a total distance traveled of 4,631,778,000 km. |
| March 4, 2008 | megan (alaska) | how much does Jupiter weigh and how old is it? | Jupiter's mass is 1,898 x1024 kilograms (318 x Earth's). The Sun, all planets and moons were formed out of the solar nebula, about 4.5 billion years ago. |
| March 4, 2008 | epiphany (fl / us) | why is jupiter its color. | The dramatic appearance of Jupiter stems partially because the composition of Jupiter's atmosphere includes complicated molecules such as ammonia and methane, as well as simple molecules such as helium, hydrogen, and sulfur. The composition also includes exotic molecules such as germain. |
| March 3, 2008 | Kevin (ca,us) | what is the pressure in the atmosphere of Jupiter? I'm doing a class project for my earth sci class & this is one of the things i need to have in my written&oral report.thanks | Jupiter's atmospheric pressure has been calculated to be around 0.7 bars. |
| January 12, 2008 | emma (canada) | how many times around the sun is= to a year on jupiter | Jupiter revolution period about the Sun (Jupiter's year) equals 12 earth's years. In other words, when Jupiter finihes one rotation around the Sun, Earth has already made 12. |
| January 1, 2008 | Slater (G.A. America) | Jupiter's weather | Jupiter is a very dynamic system. The king of planets is aptly named because it not only has the most dynamic atmospheric motion, but also the most riveting cloud patterns and storms, and the most majestic appearance of the giant planets. The dramatic appearance of Jupiter stems partially because the composition of Jupiter's atmosphere includes complicated molecules such as ammonia and methane, as well as simple molecules such as helium, hydrogen, and sulfur. The composition also includes exotic molecules such as germain. The atmosphere of Jupiter is only a narrow surface layer, compared to the vast interior of the planet. The three clouddecks of Jupiter are to be found at different levels in the troposphere, while hazes of smog can be found higher in the atmosphere. |
| January 1, 2008 | Forest (Colorado) | What's Europa? | Europa is one of Jupiter's moon. It was first discovered by Galileo in 1610, making it one of the Galilean Satellites. It is Jupiter's 4th largest moon, 670,900 km from Jupiter. With a diameter that is about half the distance across the United States, 3138 km (1950 miles), Europa is close to the same size as the Earth's moon. |
| August 21, 2007 | Jake (New Zealand, Christchurch) | Why does Saturn and Jupiter have so many moons? | Saturn and Jupiter are giant planets. They are very large and when they formed from a disk of gas and dust there was probably a fair amount of material left over in the disk. This material condensed to form most of the moons. The most external moons are probably captured asteroids. |
| July 21, 2007 | ffsfdsf (us) | how many moons does jupiter have? | 63 moons orbit Jupiter: Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto, Amalthea, Himalia, Elara, Pasiphae, Sinope, Lysithea, Carme, Ananke, Leda, Thebe, Adrastea, Metis, Callirrhoe, Themisto, Megaclite, Taygete, Chaldene, Harpalyke, Kalyke, Iocaste, Erinome, Isonoe, Praxidike, Autonoe, Thyone, Hermippe, Aitne, Eurydome, Euanthe, Euporie, Orthosie, Sponde, Kale, Pasithee, Hegemone, Mneme, Aoede, Thelxinoe, Arche, Kallichore, Helike, Carpo, Eukelade, Cyllene, Kore, S/2003 J2, S/2003 J3, S/2003 J4, S/2000 J5, S/2003 J9, S/2003 J10, S/2003 J12, S/2003 J15, S/2003 J16, S/2003 J17, S/2003 J18, S/2003 J19, S/2003 J23. |
| July 19, 2007 | Mpumi (South Africa) | Can people go to saturn | Yes, I believe we could, but another question is the possibility of "landing" there. Jupiter, and the rest of the Giant planets do not have the same layered structure that the terrestrial planets do. Their evolution was quite different than that of the terrestrial planets, and they have less solid material. Jupiter's interior composition is primarily that of simple molecules such as hydrogen and helium, which are liquids under the high pressure environments found in the interiors of the outer planets, and not solids. |
| July 18, 2007 | danel (S.A) | is jupiter a gas planet | There are four gas giants in our Solar System: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. |
| July 17, 2007 | angelina (california) | how many earth days make up a day in jupiter i.e. rotation? | Jupiter's day (its rotation period about axis) is 9.8 Terrestrial hours. This means that a Jovian day is shorter that a Terrestrial day! 1 Jovian day = 0.41 Earth day. |
| July 16, 2007 | Bianca (california/u.s.a) | What is the surface on jupiter. | The Giant planets do not have the same layered structure that the terrestrial planets do. Their evolution was quite different than that of the terrestrial planets, and they have less solid material. However, Jupiter most outstanding surface feature is the Great Red Spot, a swirling mass of gas resembling a hurricane. The widest diameter of the spot is about three times that of Earth. The color of the spot usually varies from brick-red to slightly brown. |
| July 13, 2007 | Vheshman (England) | I am at Merchant Taylors (a private school) and my teacher has asked me this question: What is the maximum distance from the Earth to Jupiter. Please tell me as soon as you can. | We should establish first a frame to determine the average distance between them. Let’s assume for this calculation that Jupiter and Earth are aligned with the Sun, and use their minimum distance to the Sun to determine the minimum distance between them: Jupiter minimum distance to the Sun: 741 million km (460 million miles) Earth minimum distance to the Sun: 146 million km (91 million miles) Difference (minimum distance between the two planets): 595 million km (369 million miles). |
| July 11, 2007 | Ashley (New Jersey) | What is the approximate age of Jupiter? | Jupiters age is about the same age as the Sun: 4.5 billion years. |
| July 11, 2007 | Pulkit (India,Delhi) | how is the temprature at jupiter | Temperature at Jupiter's cloud tops is -150 oC (-101 oF). |
| July 11, 2007 | Rachel (Massachusetts) | who discovered Jupiter | Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system. It is also one of the brighter objects in the night sky. No one knows for sure who discovered Jupiter, but we know the ancient Greeks named him after the god, Zeus. More information about this topic in our webpage Discovery of Jupiter. |
| July 9, 2007 | mustafa (Victoria) | Who discovered Jupiter? | Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system. It is also one of the brighter objects in the night sky. No one knows for sure who discovered Jupiter, but we know the ancient Greeks named him after the god, Zeus. |
| July 9, 2007 | shenille (california) | what makes jupiter so unique, what are some features that jupiter has? | Our webpage Comparison of Jupiter and Earth will help you to see the differences between the two planets. Our page Jupiter Statistics offers very interesting facts about this planet. |
| July 3, 2007 | Savannah (Indiana,USA) | Hi! This is my first time talking to a scientist! You people must be great. My question is......What is Jupiter's temperature? I've been searching for 2 hours on the internet and didn't find anything! Please Respond. | Jupiter's temperature at cloud tops is -150 oC (-101 oF). More interesting facts in our webpage Jupiter's Statistics. |
| July 3, 2007 | Rachel (USA) | How far from from the Sun does Jupiter orbit? | Jupiter's minimum distance from the Sun is 741 million km (460 million miles), and its maximum distance from the Sun is 817 million km (508 million miles). |
| July 2, 2007 | kayla (tn.) | how many volcans has ben on jupiter? | Volcanoes has been observed in Jupiter'a monns. For example, Voyager 1 identified nine currently active (erupting) volcanoes on Io, probably driven by tidal heating. Many more are suspected. Voyager 2 observed eight of the nine; the largest shut down by the time Voyager 2 arrived at Jupiter. Plumes from the volcanoes reach more than 300 kilometers (190 miles) above the surface. |
| July 2, 2007 | Elizabeth (CT) | Can you help me discover the minimum distance between Jupiter, and it's moon Callisto? I need this for a project / debate, and I can't seem to find it anywhere. | Callisto moves following an orbit that is 1 883 000 km from Jupiter. |
| May 23, 2007 | Brianna (iIdiana) | are there any landforms on jupiter? | Jupiter and the rest of the Giant planets do not have the same layered structure that the terrestrial planets do. Their evolution was quite different than that of the terrestrial planets, and they have less solid material. Jupiter's interior composition is primarily that of simple molecules such as hydrogen and helium, which are liquids under the high pressure environments found in the interiors of the outer planets, and not solids. So, Jupiter does not have any land form to talk of. |
| May 21, 2007 | kavya (india) | tell me even though jupiter is sooooooo big it is not at all visible! it is because of distance or of it is not so bright? but it is considred as a brown dwarf comparably a small star? i want to know what blocks it from it being visible? | Jupiter's minimum distance from Earth is 588 million km (365 million miles), too far to be clearly visible without its own light (as the rest of the planets and moons, Jupiter reflects the light from the Sun). |
| May 21, 2007 | Kathryn (Indidna) | What are the common elements present to Jupiter and what's their state of matter? | Jupiter's interior composition is primarily that of simple molecules such as hydrogen and helium, which are liquids under the high pressure environments found in the interiors of the outer planets, and not solids. More information in our web page Jupiter's Interior and links therein. |
| April 19, 2007 | Courtney (Ohio) | How long does it take for Jupiter to rotate? | Jupiter's rotation period about its axis (length of a day) is 9.8 hours. Its revolution period about the Sun (a year) is 12 Earth's years. |
| April 19, 2007 | Beth (Oklahoma) | Can you tell me when Jupiter was discovered? | Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system. It is also one of the brighter objects in the night sky. No one knows for sure who discovered Jupiter, but we know the ancient Greeks named him after the god, Zeus. More information about this planet can be found in our web page Jupiter. |
| April 7, 2007 | Tayla (North Dakota) | Why is jupiter king of all planet's | Jupiter has a diameter of 142 800 km (earth's diameter = 12 756 km). Its mass is 318 times earth's mass, and it has 60 moons. It is really an impresive planet. Fore more comparative data, visite our web page Table of Planets. |
| March 26, 2007 | Judy (California) | What do you know about Jupiter? | A good amount of information about this planet can be found in our web page Jupiter. |
| March 13, 2007 | olivia (Iowa) | do know any facts about how jupiter orbits or revolve? | Here are several facts about Jupiter's orbit: Jupiter's rotation period about its axis is 9.8 hours, and takes 12 years to complete a full revolution around the Sun, reaching a minimum and a maximum distance from our star of respectively 741 million km (460 million miles) and 817 million km (508 million miles). The tilt of its axis is 3.1o. Juipter orbital semimajor axis is 5.20 AU (Earth=1 AU) and its minimum distance from Earth is 588 million km (365 million miles). More information about this planet at our web page Jupiter. |
| March 12, 2007 | Logan (Alabama) | what does jupiter look like???? | Please, visit our web page Jupiter Image List for many beautiful pictures. |
| March 5, 2007 | hadeer (MI) | what is made up of jupiters atmoshere?!!! | The dramatic appearance of Jupiter stems partially because the composition of Jupiter's atmosphere includes complicated molecules such as ammonia and methane, as well as simple molecules such as helium, hydrogen, and sulfur. The composition also includes exotic molecules such as germain. |
| February 28, 2007 | Souad (Michigan,United States) | What is the force of gravity at the surface of Jupiter? | Jupiter's surface gravity is 23.12 m/s2 (2.64 x Earth's) |
| February 28, 2007 | Souad (Michigan,United States) | Is Jupiter's orbit unusual? | Not really. Its revolution period about the Sun is 12 Earth years, raching a minimum distance from the Sun of 741 million km and a maximum distance from the Sun of 817 million km. Jupiter orbital eccentricity is 0.048, and its orbit inclination to the ecliptic is 1.31. All these values are not unusual, but the tilt of its axis (3.1 degrees) is the second smallest in our system, only after Mercury´s (0 degree). please, visit our web page Orbital Data for the Planets for a comparative table. |
| February 25, 2007 | Sean (Pennsylvania,USA) | When was Jupiter discovered? | Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system. It is also one of the brighter objects in the night sky. No one knows for sure who discovered Jupiter, but we know the ancient Greeks named him after the god, Zeus. More information at our web page Discovery of Jupiter. |
| February 12, 2007 | kelly (downey) | is jupiter really turn different colors????? | The dramatic, multicolored appearance of Jupiter is partially due to the composition of Jupiter's atmosphere. More information in our web page Jupiter's Atmosphere and many pictures and illustrations here. |
| February 8, 2007 | Sadie (South Dakota) | what color is jupiter??????? | The dramatic, multicolored appearance of Jupiter stems partially because the composition of Jupiter's atmosphere. More information in our web page Jupiter's Atmosphere and many pictures and illustrations here. |
| February 6, 2007 | ben (u.s.a) | What is the big red spot? a huracane? | Jupiter's Great Red Spot is thought to be a hurricane which has been raging on Jupiter for at least 400 years. |
| February 5, 2007 | Christopher (California United States) | Which planet has a surface temperature of -153 degrees Celsius? | Jupiter's temperature at cloud tops is around -150 degrees C. More interesting facts about this planet can be found in our web page Jupiter Statistics. |
| January 25, 2007 | cristian (texas united states) | how many light years are from Jupiter to the sun | A light year is the distance that the light (or any electromagnetic signal) covers in the vacuum in one terrestrial year. 1 light year = 9.4605284 × 10^12 km = 9 460 528 400 000 km. One astronomical unit (AU) is the average distance from the Sun's center to the Earth's center. 1 AU =149 597 871 km Jupiter mean distance to the Sun is 5.2 AU = 777 908 929.2 km, much less that 1 light year! |
| January 17, 2007 | Vianeth (San Pedro) | How many rings does Jupiter has? | There are three parts to Jupiter's rings. The innermost, cloud-like ring is called the Halo Ring. The next one out is the Main Ring, which is quite narrow and thin. Beyond the Main Ring is the wispy, nearly transparent Gossamer Ring. As shown in the diagram, the Gossamer Ring has two parts: the Amalthea Gossamer Ring (closer to Jupiter) and the Thebe Gossamer Ring. More information about Jupiter's rings can be found in our web page The Rings of Jupiter. |
| December 27, 2006 | Ayanna (New Jersey) | What is the distance between saturn and jupiter? | The average distance between Jupiter and Sun is 5.20 au, and the average distance between Saturn and Sun is 9.54 au. Therefore the smallest distance from Saturn and Jupiter could be (9.54 - 5.20) au, and the largest distance between them could be (9.54 + 5.20) au. The average distance between the Earth and the Sun is known as one astronomical unit, or au = 149,598,000 km. |
| December 27, 2006 | shanta (new jersey usa) | does jupiter have a meaning | In Roman mythology, Jupiter was the king of heaven and Earth and of all the Olympian gods. He was also known as the god of justice. He was named king of the gods in the special meeting that followed his overthrow of the god Saturn and the Titans. |
| December 27, 2006 | jackie (us\ ca) | how big is jupiter? | Jupiter's diameter is 142,800 km (88,736 miles), and its mass is 1,898 x10^24 kilograms (318 x Earth's). |
| December 27, 2006 | alyssa (new jersey/u.s.a) | how far is jupiter from the sun? | For Jupiter: Minimum Distance from Sun: 741 million km (460 million miles) Maximum Distance from Sun: 817 million km (508 million miles) More interesting facts can be found at our page Jupiter. |
| December 27, 2006 | Sierra (illinois) | how long is a year on Jupiter | Jupiter's Revolution Period about the Sun (definition of year) is 12 Earth years. For more interesting facts visit our web page jupiter. |
| December 14, 2006 | jessica (New Jersey) | What is the biggest planet? | Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system. When approached from afar, its fantastic striped atmosphere gradually reveals intriguing clouds that move around the planet. Much more information about this planet, including pictures, can be found at our web page Jupiter. |
| December 11, 2006 | Matt (mo) | i am doing a project for school. can you give me some interesting information on the history or discovery of Jupiter. thanks, i will give your site onto my works cited to help advertise for y'all. thanks. p.s. smile God loves you! :D | Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system. It is also one of the brighter objects in the night sky. No one knows for sure who discovered Jupiter, but we know the ancient Greeks named him after the god, Zeus. For more information about this planet, please visit our page Jupiter. |
| December 11, 2006 | tobi (illinois) | can you tell me all you know aboutplanet Jupiter | A wealth of information about Jupiter can be found in our web page Jupiter. |
| December 11, 2006 | Brandon (Arkansas) | I have a project in my 4th grade class. What is the distance from Jupiter to the sun in light years, days, hours and seconds? I have to show my work. Thanks! | The average distance of Jupiter to the Sun is 779 million km. (484 million miles). |
| December 11, 2006 | Mariah (Az) | How did Jupiter and Saturn get its rings? | Planetary rings are probably created when two small moons collide or when one gets too close to its planet and the gravitational tidal forces shred it apart. The resulting fragments extend into concentric orbits and collision with each other continuously, eventually forming a set of rings. |
| December 9, 2006 | Adrianna (Georgia) | What is the circumference of Jupiter and Saturn? | Jupiter’s diameter is 142 800 km (88,736 miles) and for Saturn it is 119 871 km (74,500 miles). |
| November 30, 2006 | Logan (illinois) | What is Jupiter's simble | You can see the symbol used for Jupiter and many other interesting information at our page Jupiter's Statistics. |
| November 14, 2006 | Ma (Virginia) | How long does it take a day to pass on Jupiter? | Jupiter takes 9.8 hours to complete one full rotation period about its axis (1 day). For more interesting facts about Jupiter visit our page Jupiter's Statistics |
| December 9, 2003 | Rachel(MN, USA) | I've heard that they have discovered more than 63 moons on Jupiter, and only about a third are named. Is this information correct? | I believe NASA's total is up to 61 moons of Jupiter, but more and more are being discovered all the time! Almost half of these moons have names. Many Jovian moons are named after characters from Greek and Roman mythology. |
| July 15, 2002 | Courtney (New Zealand) | How long will it take to travel to Jupiter from Earth (in light years)? | First, it should be said that a light year is a measure of distance, not time (which I know is a little confusing from its name!). The minimum distance between Jupiter and Earth is 588 million km (365 million miles). Since one light year (the distance light travels in one year) is approximately 5,870,000,000,000 miles, the minimum distance between Jupiter and Earth is 0.0000621 light years. However, Jupiter is not always the same distance from Earth! You can figure out how far it is from Earth right now by clicking here. Of course, unmanned space missions to Jupiter don't travel at the speed of light, but it sure would be neat if they could! |
| August 8, 2001 | Melissa (Australia) | What would be the mass of a 100 kg object on Jupiter? | The mass of a 100 kg object doesn't change no matter where the object is, because mass is just a measurement of how much matter there is in a given object. The weight of that object would change, though, and it would increase from the 100 kg we observe on Earth to 236.4 kg on Jupiter. You might be interested to look at a page called Weights on other Worlds which explains this further. |
| February 5, 2001 | Glenn (New Jersey, USA) | What was the myth of Jupiter? | Here's his story! |
| January 3, 2001 | Ashley (Tennessee, USA) | What can you tell me about Jupiter's Red Spot? | Jupiter's Great Red Spot is thought to be a hurricane on Jupiter. |
| December 22, 2000 | Nicky (England) | If Martian describes planet Mars what word describes planet Jupiter? | Martian does describe the Red Planet. Jovian is the word that describes Jupiter. So, Jupiter and its moons are known as the Jovian system. |
| October 30, 2000 | Kristel (Utah, USA) | My class is giving a project on Jupiter and I need to know how cold is it on Jupiter? | This page will give you lots of information about Jupiter including the temperature. |
| June 20, 2000 | Natalia (Texas, USA ) | If you went to the moon Io and you and your friend weighed 100 and 90 lbs. how much would you both weigh on Io??? | Io, a moon of Jupiter is smaller than Earth, so you'd weigh less. A 100 pound person would weigh 12.7 pounds on Io. And a 90 pound person would weigh 11.4 pounds. There is a handy site that helps you figure out your weight on lots of different worlds! |
| May 30, 2000 | Zoe (Texas, USA) | Are Jupiters clouds that surround it counted as rings? | No, the clouds are part of the lower atmosphere. Rings are in an actual ring shape, like the ones surrounding Saturn. |
| May 12, 2000 | Cathy (USA) | How long has Jupiter's storm or big red spot been raging? | Scientists estimate that the Great Red Spot has been raging for the past 400 years. |
| March 27, 2000 | Chuck (North Carolina, USA) | How did the big red spot form on Jupiter? | The Great Red Spot on Jupiter is thought to be a hurricane which has been raging on Jupiter for at least 400 years. |
| January 11, 2000 | Katy (Florida, USA) | which planet is spinning the fastest? | Jupiter spins faster than any other planet. One day is 9 hours and 55 minutes long. Earth's is 24 hours! Saturn is not far behind Jupiter. A single day on Saturn takes a whopping 10 hours and 14 minutes. |
| September 26, 1999 | Joey (Kentucky, USA) | Why does the Jupiter spot keep moving around? | Jupiter's spot is thought to be a huge storm. Similar to storms on Earth, this storm moves in the atmosphere of Jupiter. |
| August 4, 1999 | Alex (Michigan) | Are storms on Jupiter strong enough to throw lava off the surface which could then form new moons. | Good question! The winds on Jupiter are very strong, blowing at around 100 m/s. However, the escape velocity of Jupiter is about 59.5 km/s, much greater than wind speed. This means that Jupiter's winds would not be nearly strong enough to throw lava (or anything else for that matter) off the planet to form new moons. |
| June 26, 1999 | Jamie (Maryland) | How many light years are from Jupiter to the sun? | It takes around 43 minutes and 13 seconds for sunlight to reach Jupiter from the sun (which is one 12,161st of a light year). |
| December 16, 1998 | Stacie | What is the surface temperature of Jupiter? | Well, Jupiter does not really have a solid surface, but the outermost part of the planet has a temperature of about 120 K, or 390 degrees C. |
| September 10, 1998 | Nikki (Michigan, USA) | What is the first planet you see in the easterly sky? | Right now, Jupiter is the first planet you'll see in the eastern sky. It is a bright and cream-colored. You should be able to see it just to the left of the Moon. |
| July 15, 1998 | Glenn (Wisconsin, USA) | If a comet or other space junk got to close to Jupiter, would Jupiter's gravitational pull make it part of its rings? | If the material was very small, I imagine that it could get pulled to be a part of Jupiter's rings. But if the material was larger or traveling very fast, it would probably just crash into Jupiter like the Shoemaker-Levy comet did. But even the Shoemaker-Levy comet got pulled apart as it approached Jupiter (because Jupiter's gravitational force is so strong), so maybe some of that material is now a part of Jupiter's rings! |
| May 16, 1998 | Simon (Pennsylvania, USA) | What is the average surface temperature of Io, Ganymede, Callisto, Phobos and Triton? | The average temperature of Io is 130K. The average temperatures for Ganymede, Callisto, Triton are 117K, 126K and 34.5K respectively. As far as I know, the average temperature of Phobos is not yet known. |
| January 2, 1998 | Melinda (Oregon, USA) | Why did they name Jupiter after Zeus? | Zeus (which is the Greek name for the god the Romans called Jupiter) was the king of all the gods. So, the largest planet was named after the most powerful god, Zeus/Jupiter. |
| December 31, 1997 | Stefan (South Carolina, USA) | Is there really water under Europa's surface? | The surface of Europa looks similar to images of sea ice on Earth. There may be a layer of liquid water under Europa' frozen surface. If this is the case, it would be the only place other than Earth in our solar system where liquid water exists in large amounts. |
