gas giant
Jupiter
The largest planet, a striped giant of hydrogen and helium with the Great Red Spot, a powerful magnetic field and dozens of moons.
- Distance from Earth today
- 820.2 million km5.483 AU · light: 45 min 36 s
- Distance from the Sun today
- 795.1 million km5.315 AU
- As of
- 2 November 2026Live distance and chart →
Where it is today
Top view of the plane of Earth’s orbit, compressed distance scale. Open on the big map with the time slider →
Facts
- Diameter
- 142,984 km
- Mass
- 1,898 × 10²⁴ kg
- Density
- 1,326 kg/m³
- Surface gravity
- 23.1 m/s²
- Escape velocity
- 59.5 km/s
- Rotation period
- 9.9 h
- Length of day
- 9.9 h
- Mean distance from the Sun
- 778.5 million km (5.204 AU)
- Perihelion
- 740.6 million km
- Aphelion
- 816.4 million km
- Orbital period
- 11.86 years
- Mean orbital velocity
- 13.1 km/s
- Orbital eccentricity
- 0.049
- Orbital inclination
- 1.3°
- Axial tilt
- 3.1°
- Mean temperature
- -110 °C
- Surface pressure
- no solid surface
- Known moons
- 95
- Rings
- yes
- Global magnetic field
- yes
Source of the figures: NASA Planetary Fact Sheet (public domain).
Description
Jupiter is the biggest planet by far, more massive than all the other planets combined. It has no solid surface; its colourful belts and zones are cloud bands of ammonia and water driven by fast rotation and strong jet streams. The Great Red Spot is a storm larger than Earth that has been watched for centuries. Deep inside, hydrogen is squeezed into an electrically conducting state that powers the strongest planetary magnetic field in the Solar System, surrounded by intense radiation belts and faint rings. Pioneer 10 and 11 and the two Voyagers flew past it, Galileo orbited it and dropped a probe into its atmosphere, and Juno has been circling over its poles since 2016.
Moons
- IoGalilean moonDiameter: 3,643 km
- EuropaGalilean moonDiameter: 3,122 km
- GanymedeGalilean moonDiameter: 5,262 km
- CallistoGalilean moonDiameter: 4,821 km
- Amaltheainner moonDiameter: 167 km
- Himaliairregular moonDiameter: 170 km
- Thebeinner moonDiameter: 98.6 km
We describe 7 of the 95 known moons (count from the NASA Planetary Fact Sheet) – the largest and most interesting.
Missions
- NASA · 2024Europa Clipperorbiter · active
- ESA · 2023JUICEorbiter · active
- NASA · 2011Junoorbiter · active
- NASA · 2006New Horizonsflyby · active
- NASA/ESA/ASI · 1997Cassini–Huygensorbiter · ended
- ESA/NASA · 1990Ulyssessolar mission · ended
- NASA · 1989Galileoorbiter · ended
- NASA · 1977Voyager 1flyby · active
- NASA · 1977Voyager 2flyby · active
- NASA · 1973Pioneer 11flyby · contact lost
- NASA · 1972Pioneer 10flyby · contact lost