♃Jupiter
The largest planet in the Solar System. A colossal ball of gas that could swallow 1,300 Earths, harboring a storm that has raged for over 300 years.
- Distance from Sun
- 5.20 AU (about 778.6 million km)
- Diameter
- 139,820 km (11× Earth)
- Orbital period
- 11.9 years
- Rotation period
- 9.9 hours
- Moons
- 95+ (Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto, ...)
Science
The scienceJupiter is the largest planet in the Solar System, more than twice as massive as all the other planets combined and large enough to hold about 1,300 Earths. With no solid ground, it is made mostly of hydrogen and helium gas, and the colorful stripes on its surface are vast cloud bands sculpted by its rapid rotation (9.9 hours). Its famous "Great Red Spot" is a storm big enough to engulf the entire Earth and has raged for at least 350 years. The four large moons Galileo discovered in 1610 became decisive evidence that Earth is not the center of the universe.
Name & Myth
The story behind the nameShining brightly and majestically as it drifts slowly across the sky, Jupiter was given in the West the name of Jupiter, king of the gods (the Greek Zeus). The four moons Galileo discovered were named after those Zeus loved (Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto). In East Asia, because it circles the sky in about 12 years with such regularity, it was used as a standard for counting the years and called "Se-seong," the Year Star. Matched to Wood among the Five Elements, it was called "Mok-seong," the Wood Star.