10 Facts About Jupiter

Can you name 10 facts about Jupiter? Jupiter is best known for being the largest planet in the solar system and is the 5th planet away from the sun. Early observations of Jupiter date back to the 1600's and much had been discovered through telescope research throughout the 1800's and early 1900's. In 1973 the first space probe was sent to Jupiter, where the first pictures were taken and it was discovered that Jupiter had a very strong magnetic field.

Ready to Learn More? Here are 10 Facts About Jupiter You May Not Have Known:

1. Jupiter has at least 63 moons. Four of these moons were discovered by Galileo Galilie in the year 1610.

2. The "Great Red Spot" on Juipter is actually a storm that has been going on for hundreds of years. It is estimated to be two times larger than the Earth's diameter.

3. Jupiter is the fastest rotating planet. A day on Jupiter is only 9 hours, 55 minutes, and 44 seconds long. Because the planet is not a solid mass, it is speculated that this fast rotation speed is the cause of the planet being slightly wider in the middle.

4. Jupiter is made of an estimated 90% hydrogen atoms and 10% helium atoms. Probes have found traces of other elements, but not as prominient as these two.

5. Jupiter's gravitational pull is the strongest in the solar system. If you weighed 100 pounds on Earth, your weight on Jupiter would be around 236 pounds! Scientists have used Jupiter's gravity to propel other space probes to planets farther away.

6. The temperature range in Jupiter has a low of -163 degrees and a high of -123 degree Celsius.

7. Jupiter has a thin set of rings that go around the planet. They are barely visible by telescope from Earth.

8. Most of Jupiter is covered with clouds. These clouds are believed to be made of ammonia crystals.

9. Jupiter's magnetic field is the strongest of the planets. It is estimated to extend over 1,600,000 miles. The combination of its strong gravitational pull and magnetic field have given Jupiter a reputation as being the "vacuum cleaner of the solar system", as it sucks in comets, meteorites, and asteroids.

10. Jupiter's center is belived to be composed of liquid metallic hydrogen.

Did you know these 10 Facts About Jupiter? Want to learn more? This Wikipedia Article. provides many of the sources and information I used to compile this fun list of 10 facts about Jupiter.