Jupiter
The biggest planet
Jupiter is a giant! It is the largest planet in our Solar System. Its bright and dark stripes are long bands of clouds, carried by powerful winds. Jupiter is mostly made of gases. It has no ordinary solid surface like the ground beneath our feet. We could not simply land and go for a walk.
Look at the big reddish spot. It is an enormous swirling storm that has lasted a very long time. Jupiter spins quickly: a day lasts about ten hours. Many moons circle this giant, including volcanic Io, icy Europa, and huge Ganymede. Spacecraft study Jupiter’s clouds and gravity.
At a glance
For children ages 4–7 and their grown-ups.
- Fifth planet from the Sun
- Mean radius: about 69,911 km
- Year: about 11.9 Earth years
- Day: about 10 hours
Interesting facts
- Jupiter is the largest planet in the Solar System.
- The Great Red Spot is a giant atmospheric storm.
- Jupiter has faint rings.
Questions children ask
Can you stand on Jupiter?
The gas giant has no familiar solid surface to stand on.
Does Jupiter have moons?
Yes. They include Io, Europa and Ganymede.
Source for facts and characteristics: NASA · Jupiter
Explore more
In the planetarium you can spin this world and look at it from every side.
Sources and images
Celestial maps: Solar System Scope / INOVE · CC BY 4.0. Thumbnails were reduced and shaded. Artistic SVG maps were created for this project.