10 INSANE Facts About Jupiter
Aptly named after the king of the gods, Jupiter is the fifth planet
from the sun and the largest one found in the entire Solar System.
Here are some of the most mind-blowing facts about the massive planet!
10) It’s a failed star That’s what astronomers usually say when
referring to Jupiter, but it’s not necessarily an appropriate description. Even though like a star,
Jupiter is quite rich in hydrogen and helium, it, unfortunately, falls short on the mass scale and
is unable to trigger a fusion reaction in its core. Stars generate energy by fusing hydrogen
atoms under extreme heat and pressure to create helium, releasing light and heat in the process.
The entire process is possible all because of their enormous gravity resulting from the colossal
mass. Jupiter, however, would need seventy times its current mass to be able to undergo
the process of energy generation. Nevertheless, Jupiter remains a giant ball of gas that is
of crucial interest for astronomers without any hopes of becoming a star any time soon.
9) Jupiter has the fastest spinning speed If you thought having a large mass was going
to be a hindrance for Jupiter, you couldn’t be more wrong! In fact, with a rotational velocity of
around 28,148 mph, the planet only takes about ten hours to complete a full rotation around its axis.
As a result, it has the shortest day of all planets, despite its hefty size. It spins so
rapidly that over time it has flattened out at the poles a little and is bulging at its equator. The
points on Jupiter’s equator are more than 2858 miles further from the center than the poles.
Such a fast speed of rotation is also the reason why Jupiter has remarkably powerful
magnetic fields that contribute to the dangerous radiation surrounding it. It’s actually fourteen
times stronger than the magnetic field of Earth. Compasses would be super handy on
a place like Jupiter! Astronomers also think the magnetic field results from the eddy currents or
swirling movements of conducting materials within the liquid metallic hydrogen core.
8) It has over 79 moons!
Even though it is estimated that the planet has over 200 natural satellites orbiting it,
79 of them have been confirmed and named by astronomers so far. Pretty much all of these
moons are less than 6.2 miles in diameter and were only discovered after 1975. Among them,
there are four moons that are considered to be major, collectively known as the Galilean
Moons. In the order of distance from Jupiter, these are Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.
These moons happen to be some of the largest ones found in the solar system,
with Ganymede topping the list. It has a diameter of 3269 miles! They were first seen
by Galileo Galilei in 1609 and recognized by him as satellites of Jupiter in the following year.
Moreover, they were the first objects found to orbit a planet other than the Earth.
7) It has the brightest auroras in the solar system
The Aurora borealis, also commonly known as the Northern Lights, are nature’s dazzling fireworks
that are quite a sight to witness! People have been treated to this phenomenon from time to time.
It’s caused by the collision of energetic particles with atoms in the high-altitude
atmosphere, but it’s not just limited to Earth. Auroras have been spotted on Mars, Uranus,
and Jupiter over the years, with those observed on Jupiter being some of the shiniest auroras ever!
Even though similar to Earth, auroras on Jupiter are also caused by solar storms,
they are, in fact, hundreds of times brighter than the ones seen on Earth. The reason could be that
Jupiter has an additional source that contributes to the sparkle: charged particles that are thrown
into space by its orbiting moon “Io,” which is famous for its numerous gigantic volcanoes.
6) Its moons might actually harbor life The Voyager and Galileo missions involved
sending spacecraft to Jupiter and its moons. It was found that Europa,
one of the biggest moons in the solar system, had a subsurface liquid ocean covered in thick ice.
Europa happens to meet three of the fundamental conditions that are necessary to sustain life.
These include biochemically helpful molecules, a source of energy,
and a liquid solvent in which dissolved substances can chemically react with each other. For that
reason, scientists now believe that Europa might, in fact, be capable of harboring life!
Although unfortunately, to confirm the possibility, we would have to get beneath
the ice by one day putting a lander on the surface with the potential to carry a submarine.
That sounds like pure science fiction, but given the advancements in technology over the past
few decades, it’s highly likely that researchers might be able to pull it off during our lifetimes!
5) Jupiter was first tracked by Babylonians We all know ancient Babylonians were skilled
mathematicians, but to what extent precisely did their wisdom reach?
They understood the Pythagorean theorem nearly 4000 years ago, but their mathematical prowess
knew no bounds. They were also pretty interested in astronomy and regularly employed arithmetic
to catalog the movements of celestial bodies. Consequently, they were able to improve their
astronomical predictions significantly. The discovery of Jupiter can be credited to
Mathieu Ossendrijver from Humboldt University, Germany. He spent over thirteen years studying
2400-year-old tablets containing what he later described as a “small bunch of four
weird trapezoid computations.” Later, it was revealed that the trapezoids encoded aspects
of Jupiter’s motion, including its appearance on the horizon. And that is how one of the most
incredible and curiosity-provoking celestial bodies in the Solar System was discovered!
4) The temperature near the planet’s core may be hotter than the sun itself!
It is estimated that the core of Jupiter might be around 43,000 degrees Fahrenheit,
which is higher than the temperature of the sun. However, aside from the core, the surface of
Jupiter has an average temperature of minus 234 degrees Fahrenheit;
it is frigid even in its warmest weather. On Earth, temperature varies as one moves
closer to or farther from the equator. But on Jupiter, the temperature depends more on height
above the surface of the planet. This phenomenon is explained by the fact
that heat is driven not by the sun but by the sizzling hot interior of the planet.
Since the distance of Jupiter from the sun is around 484 million miles,
heat from the star is weak. Most of the gases are heated up from the inside of the planet itself.
The convection from the liquid and the plasma hydrogen beneath the surface
generates a tremendous amount of heat, keeping the gas giant warm enough to avoid complete freezing.
3) You can even see Jupiter with your own eyes Jupiter happens to be the third brightest object
in the entire Solar System, right after Venus and the Moon. There’s a huge possibility that
you’ve seen Jupiter in the sky without even realizing what you were seeing!
When you locate a gleaming star high in the sky, there’s a considerable chance that you’re looking
at Jupiter. Grab a pair of binoculars, and if you know someone with a telescope, that’s even better!
Even modest magnification would enable you to spot tiny specks of light orbiting it,
which are most likely its Galilean Moons. You could be gazing at exactly what Galileo
saw when he located the planet in 1610, which is pretty fascinating on its own.
2) It has the Solar System’s largest planetary atmosphere
Composed of 90% hydrogen and 10% helium, Jupiter’s atmosphere is another source of interest and
curiosity for astronomers. The gases are in the same composition as those found in the sun.
It also contains other gases, including ammonia, methane, and water,
although these are in much smaller amounts. The atmosphere of Jupiter is distinct in that
it lacks a clear lower boundary. It gradually transitions into the liquid interior of the
planet. From the lowest to the highest, the layers are termed as troposphere,
stratosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere. Since the gas giant has no firm surface
to touch down on, the atmosphere itself essentially makes up the entire planet!
1) Jupiter is the solar system’s asteroid vacuum cleaner!
Besides space missions launched from Earth, Jupiter attracts a lot of visitors because of
its sheer mass and proximity to the Kuiper belt. The belt is a huge region of space beyond Neptune
that is packed with asteroids and dwarf planets. According to astronomers, it is estimated that
Jupiter experiences at least 200 times more meteorite impacts than Earth. We should all
be thankful to Jupiter for clearing the solar system of potentially hazardous asteroids that
might have come dangerously close to the Earth! In fact, some researchers claim that without Jupiter,
life on Earth might have been obliterated by comets and asteroids before it even
got a chance to begin. So, if you’re alive today, you might want to take a moment out
and be grateful to this incredible gas giant. Planets like Jupiter are super rare though,
which might explain why we haven’t found concrete evidence of intelligent life yet.