Jupiter is a world of extremes. It's the largest planet in our solar system – if it were a hollow shell, 1,000 Earths could fit inside. It's also the oldest planet, forming from the dust and gases left over from the Sun's formation 4.5 billion years ago. But it has the shortest day in the solar system, taking only 10.5 hours to spin around once on its axis.
Quick Facts
Eleven Earths could fit across Jupiter’s equator. If Earth were the size of a grape, Jupiter would be the size of a basketball.
Jupiter orbits about 484 million miles (778 million kilometers) or 5.2 Astronomical Units (AU) from our Sun (Earth is one AU from the Sun).
Jupiter rotates once about every 10 hours (a Jovian day), but takes about 12 Earth years to complete one orbit of the Sun (a Jovian year).
Jupiter is a gas giant and so lacks an Earth-like surface. If it has a solid inner core, it’s likely about the size of Earth.
Jupiter's atmosphere is made up mostly of hydrogen (H2) and helium (He).
Jupiter has 95 officially recognized moons.
In 1979 the Voyager mission discovered Jupiter’s faint ring system. All four giant planets in our solar system have ring systems.
Nine spacecraft have visited Jupiter. Seven flew by and two have orbited the gas giant. The most recent, Juno, arrived at Jupiter in 2016.
Jupiter cannot support life as we know it. But some of Jupiter's moons have oceans beneath their crusts that might support life.
Jupiter's Great Red Spot is a gigantic storm that’s about twice the size of Earth and has raged for over a century.
