Overview
Jupiter is the largest planet in the Solar System, and the 5th planet from the Sun, at over 5 times the distance from the earth from the Sun. Its diameter is over 142, 900 km, and its mass is 2.5 times the combined mass of all the other planets that orbit the Sun. It is the first and largest of the giant planets.
Composition of Jupiter
The planet consists of over 80 % hydrogen and 15% helium, with other elements and compounds, such as neon, water vapor, methane, and ammonia in small amounts. It doesn’t have a solid, rocky surface, so one of its best-known features is a cloud formation called the Great Red Spot, a storm that is three times the size of Earth. Its brownish-red color comes from the reaction of chemicals to ultraviolet light.
Structure of Jupiter
Jupiter probably has a dense core formed of ice and rock. Its core is surrounded by metallic hydrogen under extremes of temperature and pressure, where it conducts electricity like a metal, and flows like a liquid. Droplets of liquid neon and helium flow down through the atmosphere. The boundary between the atmosphere and the surface is indefinite, so that the outer layer mostly consisting of liquid hydrogen is surrounded by a layer of more gassy hydrogen, in cloud layers of a bottomless atmosphere. Clouds on Jupiter consist of ammonia compounds, stirred by turbulence and wind speeds that are greater than 360 km/h. Since Jupiter rotates so rapidly (in less than 10 hours), its magnetic field is 14 times as strong as the magnetic field on Earth. It has a faint planetary ring system, made of dust.
Formation of Jupiter
Like the other planets, Jupiter formed about 4.6 billion years ago from the solar disk, after the sun began nuclear reactions causing it to shine on its own. It took a large amount of the hydrogen and helium that existed in the solar disk, but it would have to be between 70 to 80 times as large as it is now to initiate fusion reactions itself. However, scientists believe that the extreme pressures deep within the planet have created very high temperatures in the interior of the planet, enough to cause active convection currents and its strong magnetic field.
Exploration of Jupiter
In 1973, Pioneer 10 flew past Jupiter, as the first craft to fly outside the asteroid belt. It has been followed by many different unmanned probes, including the Voyager series, Galileo, Juno, and New Horizons. One of the many surprising discoveries has been the discovery of faint rings around Jupiter that are made of dust rather than ice, as well as other moons around the planet.
Interested in science tutoring services? Learn more about how we are assisting thousands of students each academic year.
SchoolTutoring Academy is the premier educational services company for K-12 and college students. We offer tutoring programs for students in K-12, AP classes, and college. To learn more about how we help parents and students in Helena, MT: visit Tutoring in Helena, MT