Jupiter

Jupiter is the largest planet that goes around our Sun. It is so big that more than 1,000 Earths could fit inside it. Jupiter is made mostly of gas, not rock, so you could not stand on it. It has colorful stripes of clouds and a giant red storm that has been spinning for hundreds of years. Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun.

A Giant Gas Planet

Jupiter is called a gas giant because it is made mostly of hydrogen and helium. These are the same gases that make up the Sun. Jupiter does not have a solid surface like Earth. If you tried to land on it, you would just sink into thick clouds. Deep inside, the gas gets squeezed so hard that it turns into liquid.

Storms and Moons

Jupiter has a huge storm called the Great Red Spot. It is bigger than our whole planet Earth. Jupiter also has many moons spinning around it. Scientists have found more than 90 moons so far. The four biggest moons are named Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. Ganymede is the largest moon in the whole solar system.

Fun Facts

• A day on Jupiter is only about 10 hours long, so it spins faster than any other planet.
• Jupiter has faint rings around it, but they are hard to see from Earth.
• One year on Jupiter is almost 12 Earth years long.

Did You Know?

Jupiter is so big and heavy that its gravity helps protect Earth by pulling in comets and space rocks. Some people call Jupiter our solar system's vacuum cleaner.