Jupiter’s Evolution
According to Jupiter’s history, it’s the biggest planet found in the Solar System, with a mass more than 300 times that of Earth. It is called after the Roman god-king. He was also known as Zeus by the Greeks.
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and was known in ancient times as the “bright wandering star.” After the Sun, Moon, and Venus, it is the fourth brightest object in the sky. In 1610, Galileo is credited with finding four of its moons. Jupiter, according to scientists, is 4.6 billion years old.
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The Jupiter Orbit
Jupiter’s orbit is oval in form. The planet’s perihelion, or closest approach to the sun, is 460 million miles (741 million km), while its aphelion, or furthest approach to the sun, is 507 million miles (816 million km).
Jupiter’s orbit takes 4,330 Earth days to complete. It spins at the quickest rate of any planet, with a day lasting 9 hours and 56 minutes. Because of the speed of the rotation, the globe bulges at the Equator and is flat at the poles.
Jupiter Expeditions
There have been a few Jupiter trips. The United States undertook its first mission in 1972. Pioneer 10, a spacecraft, entered Jupiter’s atmosphere in December 1973. Despite being 81,000 miles from Jupiter’s surface, the spacecraft was able to demonstrate the strength of Jupiter’s radiation belt while also collecting information on the quantity of hydrogen and helium stored inside its atmosphere.
The Pioneer-Saturn spacecraft visited Jupiter in 1974, taking images of the North and South poles. This trip was also in charge of gathering data on Jupiter’s magnetic field and the “Great Red Spot.” During this voyage, the temperature of Jupiter was also measured.
Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 made their first trips to Jupiter in 1979. These spacecraft were used to image Jupiter’s four Galilean moons and observe lightning in its atmosphere.
Following this mission, the European Space Agency dispatched a spacecraft to Jupiter. In 1992, the Ulysses probe entered Jupiter’s atmosphere and obtained more data on the North and South poles.
In 1995, the US spacecraft Galileo was sent into orbit around Jupiter. This spacecraft carried a probe that was sent into Jupiter’s atmosphere. The probe was used to measure the amount of water and chemicals in Jupiter’s atmosphere. Galileo was also in charge of identifying the presence of an ocean on Jupiter’s Europa satellite.
In the year 2000, the Cassini spacecraft visited Jupiter. Its primary mission was to visit Saturn, but it also flew past Jupiter and snapped thousands of photographs for seventy days. This mission was able to detect and record debris from the 1994 collision of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with Jupiter’s atmosphere. Cassini was also able to record the enormous number of long-lasting storms that occur on Jupiter, as well as learn more about Jupiter’s wind patterns.
A Day on Jupiter Exploration
A day on Jupiter is exceedingly brief compared to a day on Earth – less than 10 hours! As one of the gas planets, the first thing one notices while approaching Jupiter’s atmosphere is the enormous concentration of gases. The percentage of hydrogen is 86 percent, whereas the concentration of helium is 14 percent.
Jupiter’s atmosphere also contains trace quantities of water, methane, ammonia, and carbon monoxide. These gases are concentrated in certain places as observed from space. Frozen ammonia, for example, is higher in the atmosphere and forms a white cloud-like layer. Jupiter may have become a star if it had been substantially larger, given the amounts of hydrogen and helium present. Many scientists joke that Jupiter and its many satellites are a “mini solar system.”
Higher in Jupiter’s atmosphere, hydrogen is turned into a liquid, but lower in the atmosphere, hydrogen is converted into a metal, which adds to Jupiter’s enormous magnetic field (20,000 times that of Earth). Along with Jupiter’s rings and satellites, the magnetic field comprises a radiation belt of electrons and ions.
The core of Jupiter is thought to be a dense liquid in comparison to the gas layers around it, although little is known about it.
Another thing that becomes clear when examining Jupiter is its temperature. In the topmost layer of Jupiter’s atmosphere, the temperature may reach -234 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Great Red Spot is Jupiter’s most well-known feature (GRS). This is a region of spinning gas winds, akin to hurricane storms on Earth. The Great Red Spot has a diameter that is at least 2-3 times that of Earth, and it is assumed to be sulfur and phosphorus-rich. Because of Jupiter’s many storms, the wind patterns are highly dynamic, contributing to Jupiter’s “banded” look, particularly when seen from space.
Jupiter, like Saturn, has rings that encircle it in three portions. Jupiter’s rings are mostly composed of dust and debris, and as a consequence, Jupiter’s three rings seem dim and black. The Main ring (4,000 miles wide) lies in the center and has a flat form, but the Halo inner ring (18,952 miles wide) has a cloud-like layer. The third virtually transparent Gossamer ring system consists of two rings, the inner of which is 32,348 miles wide and the outer of which is 24,854 miles wide.
No living forms have been discovered on Jupiter based on its gaseous structure and hydrogen content.
The Jupiter Satellites
Jupiter has the most satellites on any planet, having 63 linked with it. The Galilean moons are the four primary ones. Jupiter’s satellites are classified into two types: regular satellites and irregular satellites.
- The Standard Satellites
The four Galilean moons – Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto – and four smaller satellites make up the regular satellites.
- Io
Galileo’s first moon Io is home to a great number of volcanoes. This moon also has volcanic geysers and large lava lakes, making it one of the most intriguing locales in the Solar System. Its ashes, volcanic gases, and other debris are regularly ejected into space. As a consequence of the gases emitted, a ring of atoms and ions surrounds the planet.
Mountains reach a height of 16 km, which is higher than what is normally seen on Earth.
On January 7, 1610, the planet Io was discovered. It has a radius of 1,815 kilometers and is 421,000 kilometers from Jupiter. Every 1.77 Earth days, it circles Jupiter.
- Europa
Europa is Jupiter’s second moon. Its surface is coated with ice, giving it a smooth look, and it is extremely reflective of sunlight.
Europa circles Jupiter every 3.55 Earth days, with a 2-mile-thick coating of ice.
Scientists think an ocean of either liquid water or slush lies under Europa’s ice layers, and that it may be warm enough to host life. It has a radius of 1,565 kilometers.
- Ganymede
The third full moon Ganymede is the biggest of the Solar System’s satellites. Ganymede is bigger than Mercury, with a radius of 3,280 miles. This moon includes a variety of scenery, including mountainous regions with valleys below, lava eruption sites, and craters.
Ganymede is 1.07 million kilometers away from Jupiter. Ganymede’s core is assumed to be solid rock, with patches of aqueous ice on the surface.
Ganymede’s surface seems to have a mix of pale and dark patches indicating ridges and craters when observed from space. It has its own magnetic field and circles Jupiter every 7.15 Earth days.
- Callisto
Callisto, Jupiter’s fourth moon, has a radius of 2,400 km and is somewhat smaller than Ganymede. It is 1.883 million kilometers away from Jupiter. Its typography has the greatest amount of craters and impact basins.
Valhalla and Asgard are the two greatest impact basins. Valhalla has a diameter of 600 kilometers, whereas Asgard has a diameter of 1,600 kilometers.
Callisto lacks atmosphere but has a strong top crust. It is thought that a salt ocean spreads for 10 kilometers under the crust. Every 16.7 Earth days, Callisto circles Jupiter.
- Other Common Satellites
Amalthea (V), Thebe (XIV), Adrastea (XV), and Metis are the four remaining normal satellites (XVI). There is still a lot to learn about these four satellites. What is known is that Metis and Adrastea furnish the Gossamer ring’s debris.
Amalthea, Jupiter’s fifth moon, also has a number of craters comparable to Earth’s moon. Pan, Almathea’s greatest crater, has a width of 100 kilometers and a depth of 8 kilometers.
Amalthea’s scenery is made up of varied shades of brown, red, and green. The brown and red areas are caused by the presence of sulfur, but the explanation for the green patches is unclear.
- The Unusual Satellites
When compared to normal satellites, Jupiter’s irregular satellites do not all have a circular orbit. Himalia, the biggest irregular satellite, has a diameter of 150 million kilometers. It was detected for the first time in 1904, and the final irregular satellite was identified in 2003. The irregular satellites, unlike the regular satellites, are thought to be imprisoned by Jupiter’s enormous magnetic field. The following is a complete list of Jupiter’s satellites, along with the year they were discovered:
| The Moons of Jupiter | ||
| NAME | NUMBER | DISCOVERY |
| Io | I | 1610 |
| Europa | II | 1610 |
| Ganymede | III | 1610 |
| Callisto | IV | 1610 |
| Amalthea | V | 1892 |
| Himalia | VI | 1904 |
| Elara | VII | 1905 |
| Pasiphae | VIII | 1908 |
| Sinope | IX | 1914 |
| Lysithea | X | 1938 |
| Carme | XI | 1938 |
| Ananke | XII | 1951 |
| Leda | XIII | 1974 |
| Thebe | XIV | 1979 |
| Adrastea | XV | 1979 |
| Metis | XVI | 1979 |
| Callirrhoe | XVII | 1999 |
| Themisto | XVIII | 2000 |
| Megaclite | XIX | 2000 |
| Taygete | XX | 2000 |
| Chaldene | XXI | 2000 |
| Harpalyke | XXII | 2000 |
| Kalyke | XXIII | 2000 |
| Iocaste | XXIV | 2000 |
| Erinome | XXV | 2000 |
| Isonoe | XXVI | 2000 |
| Praxidike | XXVII | 2000 |
| tbn | S/2000 J11 | 2000 |
| Autonoe | Jupiter XXVIII | 2001 |
| Thyone | Jupiter XXIX | 2001 |
| Hermippe | Jupiter XXX | 2001 |
| Eurydome | Jupiter XXXII | 2001 |
| Sponde | Jupiter XXXVI | 2001 |
| Pasithee | Jupiter XXXVIII | 2001 |
| Euanthe | Jupiter XXXIII | 2001 |
| Kale | Jupiter XXXVII | 2001 |
| Orthosie | Jupiter XXXV | 2001 |
| Euporie | Jupiter XXXIV | 2001 |
| Aitne | Jupiter XXXI | 2001 |
| tbn | S/2002 J1 | 2002 |
| tbn | S/2003 J1 | 2003 |
| tbn | S/2003 J2 | 2003 |
| tbn | S/2003 J3 | 2003 |
| tbn | S/2003 J4 | 2003 |
| tbn | S/2003 J5 | 2003 |
| tbn | S/2003 J6 | 2003 |
| tbn | S/2003 J7 | 2003 |
| tbn | S/2003 J8 | 2003 |
| tbn | S/2003 J9 | 2003 |
| tbn | S/2003 J10 | 2003 |
| tbn | S/2003 J11 | 2003 |
| tbn | S/2003 J12 | 2003 |
| tbn | S/2003 J13 | 2003 |
| tbn | S/2003 J14 | 2003 |
| tbn | S/2003 J15 | 2003 |
| tbn | S/2003 J16 | 2003 |
| tbn | S/2003 J17 | 2003 |
| tbn | S/2003 J18 | 2003 |
| tbn | S/2003 J19 | 2003 |
| tbn | S/2003 J20 | 2003 |
| tbn | S/2003 J21 | 2003 |
| tbn = to be named |
Statistics About Jupiter
| Discovered By | Known by the Ancients |
| Date of Discovery | Unknown |
| Average Distance from the Sun | Metric: 778,412,020 km English: 483,682,810 miles Scientific Notation: 7.7841202 x 108 km (5.20336 A.U.) By Comparison: 5.203 x Earth |
| Perihelion (closest) | Metric: 740,742,600 km English: 460,276,100 miles Scientific Notation: 7.407426 x 108 km (4.952 A.U.) By Comparison: 5.036 x Earth |
| Aphelion (farthest) | Metric: 816,081,400 km English: 507,089,500 miles Scientific Notation: 8.160814 x 108 km (5.455 A.U.) By Comparison: 5.366 x Earth |
| Equatorial Radius | Metric: 71,492 km English: 44,423 miles Scientific Notation: 7.1492 x 104 km By Comparison: 11.209 x Earth |
| Equatorial Circumference | Metric: 449,197 km English: 279,118 miles Scientific Notation: 4.49197 x 105 km |
| Volume | Metric: 1,425,500,000,000,000 km3 English: 342,000,000,000,000 mi3 Scientific Notation: 1.4255 x 1015 km3 By Comparison: 1316 x Earth |
| Mass | Metric: 1,898,700,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 kg Scientific Notation: 1.8987 x 1027 kg By Comparison: 317.82 x Earth |
| Density | Metric: 1.33 g/cm3 By Comparison: 0.241 x Earth |
| Surface Area | Metric: 62,179,600,000 km2 English: 24,007,700,000 square miles Scientific Notation: 6.21796 x 1010 km2 By Comparison: 121.9 x Earth |
| Equatorial Surface Gravity | Metric: 20.87 m/s2 English: 68.48 ft/s2 By Comparison: If you weigh 100 pounds on Earth, you would weigh 214 pounds on Jupiter. |
| Escape Velocity | Metric: 214,300 km/h English: 133,200 mph Scientific Notation: 59,540 m/s By Comparison: 5.33 x Earth |
| Sidereal Rotation Period (Length of Day) | 0.41354 Earth days 9.925 hours By Comparison: 0.4147 x Earth |
| Sidereal Orbit Period (Length of Year) | 11.8565 Earth years 4330.6 Earth days |
| Mean Orbit Velocity | Metric: 47,051 km/h English: 29,236 mph Scientific Notation: 13,069.7 m/s By Comparison: 0.0439 x Earth |
| Orbital Eccentricity | .04839 By Comparison: 2.90 x Earth |
| Orbital Inclination to Ecliptic | 1.305 degrees |
| Equatorial Inclination to Orbit | 3.12 degrees By Comparison: 0.0178 x Earth |
| Orbital Circumference | Metric: 4,774,000,000 km English: 2,996,000,000 miles Scientific Notation: 4.774 x 109 km By Comparison: 5.165 x Earth |
| Effective Temperature | Metric: -148 °C English: -234 °F Scientific Notation: 125 K |
| Atmospheric Constituents | Hydrogen, Helium Scientific Notation: H2, He |
| Table 2: Concise statistics on the planet Jupiter (N.A.S.A. 2006) |
References
Encyclopedia Britannica. “Jupiter.” 2006. Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service. 2006 http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9110150
Gierasch, Peter J., and Philip D. Nicholson. “Jupiter.” World Book Online Reference Center. 2004. World Book, Inc http://www.worldbookonline.com/wb/Article?id=ar293080
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (N.A.S.A). “Jupiter: Facts & Figures.” 2006 http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Jupiter&Display=Facts
Space Today Online. “Exploring The Jupiter System.” 2004 http://www.spacetoday.org/SolSys/Jupiter/JupiterMoons.html
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