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Jupiter and Her Moons

Jupiter

Jupiter is the largest of all the planets in our Solar System. Its surface is not solid but rather a turbulent mixture of constant winds of gas and ice. There is a very faint ring that surrounds the planet that wasn't discovered until 1979 by the Voyager space probe. The atmosphere around Jupiter is made of hydrogen & helium. Inside Jupiter is 4 major layers:
  • A small rock core
  • Inner layer of hydrogen
  • A shell of helium & hydrogen
  • A swirling surface of icy clouds
When observing this planet, a Great Red Spot can be seen. This is a tornado that has been swirling for at least 100 yrs. It's about 40,000 km long and 100,000 km wide (talk about a twister!).

Jupiter has 4 major satellites: Castillo, Ganymede, Europa, Io.

Check out: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Nepture, Pluto

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