Jupiter: The Gas Giant
In the above 3 pictures we see shots of Jupiter's very faint rings. The
planet actually only has three rings encircling it. These rings are very
small and very faint and are only visible with the most powerful telescopes.
There are three parts in Jupiter's ring system: a flat main ring; a halo ring inside the main ring
and the gossamer ring on the outside of the main ring.
The 2 pictures above clearly show this halo. The halo consists of the finest particles from the
rings.
Jupiter
- Has rings like Saturn but Jupiter's rings are very faint.
- The rings of Jupiter, Neptune, and Uranus were all discovered after 1977.
- The largest planet in the solar system.
- Has no solid surface, instead it is made up of thick gases,
Hydrogen and Helium.
- Jupiter is believed to have a solid inner core.
- Has 16 named, major moons. Of which, Ganymede is the largest moon
in the solar system and is larger that both planets Mercury
and Pluto!
- Has a storm on it's surface called the Great Red
Spot. This is a hurricane that has raged on Jupiter for at least
300 years. It is so huge that you could fit three Earths'
inside it!
- If Jupiter were hollow you could fit all the other planets
inside it or put another way you could fit 1,300 Earths' inside
it!
- Was named after the chief Roman god because it was so big
and bright.
- It takes Jupiter 12 years to orbit the sun!
To Jupiter's Moons
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