Jupiter, the fifth planet from the Sun, is located 468.1 million miles away from it and 396.5 million miles from Earth.

Jupiter marks the first significant leap in distance from the Sun, being three times farther than Mars and nearly five times farther than Earth.

What's in a Name?

Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, is named after the king of the Roman. The name is derived from the Roman Jupiter, who closely mirrors the Zeus. As the sky father,, Jupiter's name comes from two Latin words that together mean sky father, with pater meaning father.

Known as the king of sky and thunderbolts, Jupiter was also associated with eagles, and thus highly revered by the Roman, where eagles were carried as standards. In Roman mythology, Jupiter was sometimes referred to as Jove, which is why the planet and it's features are sometimes called Jovian.

Who Discovered Jupiter?

Although Jupiter has always been visible to the eye and known to humanity, it was the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei who was the first to document its sighting with a telescope. Galileo didn’t just observe Jupiter, he also made an incredible discovery the planet’s moons. At first, Galileo noticed three points of light near Jupiter, thinking they were distant stars.

A fourth point of light soon appeared, exhibiting the same unusual behavior. By January 15, Galileo deduced that these were not stars but moons orbiting Jupiter, providing strong evidence for the Copernican theory, which suggested that most celestial bodies did not revolve around the Earth.

What’s it Made Of?

When it comes to space, it's easy to lose track of scale. Jupiter is enormous, and understanding its size helps us grasp why it’s the largest planet in our solar system. Jupiter is twice as massive as all the other planets combined, nearly 11 times wider than Earth, and 317 times Earth's mass. For perspective, our sun is about 10 times wider than Jupiter.

This giant planet is mostly composed of gas, with visible clouds made up of ammonia and water, floating in an atmosphere of hydrogen and helium similar to the sun’s composition. As we go deeper into the atmosphere, the pressure and temperature increase, compressing hydrogen into a liquid.

Can We Live There?

Considering we’re still unsure if Jupiter has a solid surface or if its core is just a super-dense mix of materials, it’s clear that the planet is not a place where humans could live. A spacecraft wouldn’t find a place to land on Jupiter, and flying into the planet wouldn’t end well either. The extreme temperatures and pressures would crush, melt, and vaporize any spacecraft attempting to enter its atmosphere.

How Long Is a Year on Jupiter? What About a Day?

A year on Jupiter lasts about 12 Earth years, or 4,333 Earth days, as it takes that long to orbit the Sun. But Jupiter’s day is incredibly short just 10 hours to complete one rotation. For comparison, on Mercury, a day lasts nearly as long as a year. While Mercury takes 88 Earth days to orbit the Sun, its rotation on its axis takes 59 Earth days.

Has NASA Sent Any Missions to Jupiter?

There have been nine missions to Jupiter, with some of the most significant ones being:

Pioneer 10: Launched on March 3, 1972, Pioneer 10 was the first spacecraft to reach Jupiter. It passed the planet on November 6, 1973, capturing numerous images before continuing on its journey out of the solar system.

Galileo: Galileo orbited Jupiter for over seven years, gathering invaluable data, including sending an atmospheric probe into Jupiter's clouds and studying it's moons.

Juno Mission: Juno is powered by solar energy, with it's three main solar panels arranged in a triangular shape, as shown to the right.