The Failed Star

Jupiter is the largest planet orbiting the sun. It is a thousand times bigger than Earth. It has 16 moons, and four of them are as large as planets. The big red spot on Jupiter's surface is a huge storm that has been raging for over 300 years. This storm is large enough to surround three planets the size of Earth.

Like the other outer planets, Jupiter is not solid. It is made up mainly of gases. This is the reason why it does not have a hard surface. Jupiter and the other outer planets have rings around them. Jupiter's rings, however, are too thin to be seen from Earth.

Facts About Jupiter

Rotational Period: 9 hour 55 minutes

Volume (Earth=1): 1,319

Density (Water=1): 1.33

Temperature at cloud tops: -150�C

	Jupiter Statistics
	Distance from the sun: 778.3 mkm
	Orbital velocity: 13.06 km/s
	Year length: 11.86 Earth-years
	Diameter: 142.796 km
	Mass: 317.89 Earth-mass
	Satellites: 16