Jupiter
From Gwn
| Jupiter (OMa-5) | |
| |
| Discovered: | Always known of by humanity. |
| Named After: | Named after the Roman Sky God |
| Relative Size: | 1,317 Earths |
| Satellites: | Notable Satellites |
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the solar system. It is two and a half times as massive as all of the other planets in our solar system combined. Jupiter, along with Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, is classified as a gas giant. Together, these four planets are sometimes referred to as the Jovian planets—Jovian being the adjectival form of Jupiter
The planet Jupiter is primarily composed of hydrogen with only a small proportion of helium; it may also have a rocky core of heavier elements. Because of its rapid rotation the planet is an oblate spheroid (it possesses a slight but noticeable bulge around the equator). The outer atmosphere is visibly segregated into several bands at different latitudes, resulting in turbulence and storms along their interacting boundaries. A prominent result is the Great Red Spot, a giant storm that is known to have existed since at least the seventeenth century. Surrounding the planet is a faint planetary ring system and a powerful magnetosphere. There are also at least 63 moons, including the four large moons called the Galilean moons that were first discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1610. The largest of these moons is bigger than the planet Mercury.
Contents |
History
y
ICS
---
Romefellar Reborn
---
Moons
Galilean moons
---
Amalthea group
---
Other Group
---
Meaning of the Name
The Romans named the planet after Jupiter, the principal God of Roman mythology, whose name is a reduction of Deus Pater, meaning God father.
