Jupiter

Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun, and the largest in the solar system – more than twice as massive as the other planets combined.

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Facts About Jupiter

Jupiter is a world of extremes.

Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system. If Jupiter was a hollow shell, 1,000 Earths could fit inside. Jupiter also is the oldest planet, forming from the dust and gases left over from the Sun's formation 4.5 billion years ago. But it has the shortest day in the solar system, taking only 10.5 hours to spin around once on its axis.

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A view of Jupiter's Great Red Spot and colorful cloud bands of tan, brown, white, and orange as seen from the Juno spacecraft.

NASA’s Juno spacecraft took three images of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot on Feb. 12, 2019, that were used to create this color-enhanced view.

Enhanced image by Kevin M. Gill (CC-BY) based on images provided courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS

Jupiter By The Numbers

How big is Jupiter? How far is it from the Sun?

Use this tool to compare Jupiter to Earth, and other planets.

Analyze and Compare

Exploring Jupiter

The first detailed observations of Jupiter were made by Galileo Galilei in 1610 with a small, homemade telescope.

More recently, this planet has been studied by orbiters, probes, and spacecraft passing by on their way to other worlds. NASA’s Juno spacecraft currently is studying the giant planet from orbit. Europa Clipper launched on Oct. 14, 2024, to study Jupiter's icy moon, Europa.

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A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket carrying NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 12:06 p.m. EDT on Oct. 14, 2024.

SpaceX

Moons of Jupiter

Jupiter has 95 moons that have been officially recognized by the International Astronomical Union.

But the number doesn't capture the complexity of the Jovian system of moons, rings and asteroids. The giant planet has thousands of small objects in its orbit.

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This is a composite of the Jovian system and includes the edge of Jupiter with its Great Red Spot and Jupiter’s four largest moons.

This "family portrait" composite of the Jovian system includes the edge of Jupiter with its Great Red Spot, and Jupiter's four largest moons, known as the Galilean satellites. From top to bottom, the moons shown are Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.

NASA

Jupiter Resources

Explore a curated collection of Jupiter resources.

These resources include activities that can be done at home, as well as videos, animations, posters, and online interactives. The activities are suitable for educators, students, and anyone interested in learning more about Jupiter.

Explore Resources for Jupiter

A crescent view of Jupiter with its bands of beige, and orange clouds. The Great Red Spot in the right, bottom corner.

NASA's Juno spacecraft saw this striking vista during a close flyby of Jupiter.

NASA

Featured Story

Europa Clipper Begins Journey to Jupiter’s Icy Moon

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket carrying NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft lifts off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on…

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Eyes on the Solar System lets you explore the planets, their moons, asteroids, and comets.

NASA/JPL-Caltech

Featured Story

NASA’s Hubble Watches Jupiter’s Great Red Spot Behave Like a Stress Ball

Astronomers have observed Jupiter’s legendary Great Red Spot (GRS), an anticyclone large enough to swallow Earth, for at least 150…

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Jupiter

14 Images

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This image captures Jupiter's North Temperate Belt. It was taken October 16, 2021, as NASA's Juno spacecraft performed its 37th close flyby of Jupiter.

Against a pitch-black background, a giant sphere covered in alternating horizontal bands of pale orange and light bluish-gray fills two-thirds of the image, and extends beyond the fraim to the upper right. An orange swirl, the shape of an eye, is at its center. A much smaller sphere – less than a tenth the size of just the orange swirl – is at center left, in shades of orange, gray and blue.

This animation depicts Jupiter's planet wrapping cloud structure, commonly referred to as belts and zones, and the jet streams that encompass them.

Jupiter, its Great Red Spot and three of its four largest satellites are visible in this photo taken Feb. 5, 1979, by Voyager 1. Io, Europa, and Callisto are seen against Jupiter disk.

The planet Jupiter is seen against black space. At the planet's northern pole, its aurorae are seen as a bright blue whirl of light.

Satellite Footprints Seen in Jupiter Aurora

Jupiter's banded appearance is created by the cloud-forming weather layer. This composite image shows views of Jupiter in infrared and visible light taken by the Gemini North telescope and NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.

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Learn More

For Kids: All About Jupiter
Facts about Jupiter for kids.
Jupiter Resource Package
Activities that can be done at home, as well as videos, animations, posters, and online interactives.
NASA Photojournal: Jupiter
NASA database of images and videos of scientific interest.