Jupiter

Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet of the Solar System. It is the oldest planet of the Solar System thus it was the first to take shape out of the remains of the solar nebula.

Jupiter is the fourth brightest object in the sky, visible to the naked eye. It shines so brightly that even Venus dims in comparison. Because of this, it has been observed since ancient times by many different cultures. The discovery of Jupiter cannot be attributed to someone.

Jupiter rotates once every 10 hours – A Jovian day - thus it has the shortest day of all the planets in the solar system. A Jovian year, on the other hand, is about 12 Earth years, quite long in comparison to its short days. The orbital period is about two-fifths that of Saturn. The orbit of Jupiter is elliptical, inclined about 1.31 degrees when compared to Earth.

Jupiter Facts

• Diameter: 142,984 km
• Mass: 1,898,130,000,000,000,000 billion kg
• Moons: 67
• Orbit Distance: 778,340,821 km (5.20 AU)
• Orbit Period: 4,332.82 days
• Surface Temperature: -108 to -5°C
• First Record: 7th or 8th Century BC
• Recorded By: Babylonian astronomers

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