Jupiter (Meaning and Explanation)

We explain everything about the planet Jupiter, its structure, atmosphere, satellites and other characteristics. Also, how it was explored.

What is Jupiter?

Jupiter It is the largest planet in the Solar System located in fifth place with respect to the Sun, about 750 million kilometers. It is made up of gases mostly hydrogen and helium. It is part of the group of “outer planets” which are those that are beyond the asteroid belt, along with Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

It is the oldest planet in the Solar System, even older than the Sun. Its name comes from Zeus (from Greek mythology), who represented the king of the gods, god of the sky and thunder. In Roman mythology, Jupiter had the same qualities as Zeus, so he was renamed.

In 1979, the Voyager probe discovered that Jupiter It has some rings that are almost imperceptible (apparently they are formed by a dark dust resulting from the collision between moons).

In addition, currently the presence of 79 moons has been confirmed that coexist with asteroids called “Trojan asteroids” that follow the orbit of Jupiter due to the planet's gravitational field.

Characteristics of Jupiter

Due to its gaseous composition, Jupiter does not have a solid surface although it could have an internal core made up of rocky materials in the form of ice due to the extremely low temperatures. It has a diameter of 142,800 kilometers (eleven times greater than that of the Earth) and a density of 1.33 grams per cubic centimeter. After the Sun, it is the largest celestial body in the Solar System.

Structure of Jupiter

Jupiter is composed of two of the lightest and most abundant elements in the universe (hydrogen and helium gases), which make it more like a star than a planet. It has a structure made up of bands of clouds in the direction of the parallels in which winds of up to 500 kilometers per hour and strong storms are generated.

Jupiter's Great Red Spot It is the most notable feature of the planet and consists of a complex oval-shaped storm (twice the size compared to Earth) that moves counterclockwise and has been active for more than a century. Other higher clouds would be made up of frozen ammonia crystals.

Deep inside the planet, the pressure is so great that hydrogen atoms break apart releasing its electrons (which surrounded the nucleus of each atom) and the protons remain (which are part of the nucleus of each atom).

The name “metallic hydrogen” arises from the new state that hydrogen acquires, whose main characteristic is that it works as an electrical conductor, just like liquid materials do. Along with the contraction of the force of gravity, a source is generated that releases energy.

If Jupiter were 100 times larger, it would reach a mass capable of carrying out nuclear reactions like those of the Sun. Therefore, some scientists assume that Jupiter is an old sun that went out.

Jupiter's atmosphere

Jupiter's atmosphere is very deep, so deep that it envelops the entire planet from the inside to the outside. It is composed of gases such as hydrogen (87%), helium (13%) and, in smaller quantities, methane, water vapor and other compounds.

Jupiter satellites

jupiter natural satellites — The largest satellites of Jupiter were discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1610.

Jupiter has 79 recognized natural satellites, which are divided into two groups:

The Galilean satellites. They are the four main ones that were discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1610 and were named according to Greek mythology as Io and Europa, the closest to the planet, dense and rocky, and Ganymede and Callisto, the furthest, composed of ice and with a density minor.
The minor satellites. There are the remaining 75 that were discovered through the different space probes sent to Jupiter and are divided, in turn, into two groups:
- Amalthea satellites. There are 4 small moons that rotate in internal orbits along with the Galilean satellites.
- Irregular satellites. There are numerous moons that orbit so far from the planet that even the force of gravity of the Sun distorts the path of their orbits.

In 1610, when Galileo Galilei discovered the first moons of Jupiter Through his telescope (the new invention of the time), he verified the existence of celestial bodies very far from Earth and that were maintained in different orbits than that of the planet.

This discovery ended the old and incorrect belief of the time, that all celestial bodies in the Milky Way, including the Sun, revolved around the Earth (instead of all celestial bodies rotating around the luminous star).

Jupiter space exploration

There are no rockets powerful enough to launch a spacecraft into the outer Solar System and beyond. However, in 1962 Scientists calculated how to use Jupiter's intense gravity to their advantage and thus launch ships from planet Earth that they continued their journey to very distant regions.