Jupiter Facts for Skywatchers: What Does Jupiter Look Like From Space and From Earth?
Jupiter is one of the brightest “stars” in the night sky and the largest planet in the Solar System. You can easily find this gas giant even in light-polluted skies. Locate Jupiter in the sky with the Sky Tonight app and keep reading this article to learn more about the planet.
Contents
- Jupiter Planet Facts
- What Does Jupiter Look Like from Earth?
- When and Where Is Jupiter Visible in 2026?
- Jupiter in the sky: upcoming events in 2026
- November 2, 2026: Moon near Jupiter; lunar occultation of Jupiter
- November 15–16: Mars near Jupiter
- November 14–20, 2026: Jupiter in a four-planet alignment
- November 22, 2026: Jupiter, Mars, and Regulus form a triangle
- November 28, 2026: Four Galilean moons on one side of Jupiter
- November 30, 2026: Moon near Jupiter; lunar occultation of Jupiter
- Jupiter in the sky: upcoming events in 2026
- What Does Jupiter Look Like in Space?
- Jupiter’s Moons
- Does Jupiter Have Rings?
- How Big Is Jupiter?
- Jupiter’s Orbit and Rotation
- How Far Away Is Jupiter?
- Missions to Jupiter
- Jupiter F.A.Q.
- Did you know?
- All About Jupiter: Conclusion
Jupiter Planet Facts
- Planet type: gas giant
- Average radius: 69,911 km (43,441 mi)
- Mass: 1.8982×10²⁷ kg
- Aphelion: 817 mln km (508 mln mi)
- Perihelion: 741 mln km (460 mln mi)
- Average distance from the Sun: 778 mln km (484 mln mi)
- Cloud-top temperature: −145 ℃ (−234 °F)
- Solar day length: 9 h 55 m 33 s
- Sidereal day length: 9 h 55 m 30 s
- Year length: 11.8618 Earth years
- Age: 4.603 billion years
- Named after: Roman god of the sky and thunder
What Does Jupiter Look Like from Earth?
What does Jupiter look like to the naked eye?
Jupiter is one of the easiest planets to spot without any equipment. It appears as a bright, steady “star” and often outshines every other point of light in the sky. It is usually the brightest planet after Venus, although Mars can occasionally outshine it. Its glow is white to cream-white.
One helpful clue to distinguish the planet: Jupiter doesn’t twinkle the way stars do. Stars are so far away that their light is more strongly distorted by Earth’s atmosphere, while planets are closer and their light looks more stable.
Check out this stars vs planets infographic to quickly understand how they differ — both as objects in space and as targets for observing in the night sky.
What does Jupiter look like through binoculars?
Through binoculars, you can get a hint of Jupiter’s tiny disk. Also, you can often spot its most famous companions: the four Galilean moons. These are Ganymede, Callisto, Io, and Europa. They show up as small pinpoints of light close to Jupiter, usually arranged in a line. Their positions change quickly, so one night you might see the moons on both sides of the planet, sometimes aligned on one side of Jupiter, and sometimes you might not see all four.
What does Jupiter look like through a small telescope?
In a small telescope with an aperture of about 80–100 mm (3–4 inches), Jupiter becomes a clearly defined disk. You’ll usually see two dark cloud bands across the planet’s disk (the main belts), and with good viewing conditions, you may notice thin lines and subtle shading.
With a bit more magnification and steady air, you may also catch the Great Red Spot as a small oval feature — it’s not always obvious, but when it rotates into view, and the air is clear, it can be visible even in modest telescopes.
The Galilean moons also become much easier to observe, and you may sometimes catch dramatic events like transits, shadow transits, or occultations. We will explain what these are and how to watch them later in the article in the chapter “How to see Jupiter’s Galilean moons?”
When and Where Is Jupiter Visible in 2026?
Jupiter is now in the constellation Leo and will remain there through the end of 2026. The planet is becoming increasingly prominent in the morning sky and will continue to brighten over the coming months. On December 13, it will start moving "backward" in the sky.
Jupiter in the sky: upcoming events in 2026
Jupiter is often one of the brightest objects in the night sky, which makes it especially easy to notice. Here are the main upcoming Jupiter events to look for. Conjunction and close-approach times and distances are geocentric (as seen from Earth’s center); city tables show the view from each location. Occultation start and end times mark the global event window, not the duration at one location.
November 2, 2026: Moon near Jupiter; lunar occultation of Jupiter
- Occultation start: 20:45 UTC
- Occultation end: November 3, 00:45 UTC
- Conjunction time: 23:09 UTC (18:09 EST)
- Conjunction distance: 0°33′
- Close approach time: 22:46 UTC (17:46 EST)
- Close approach distance: 0°29′
On November 2 UTC, the waning crescent Moon will pass very close to bright Jupiter (mag −2.0) in Leo. Depending on your location, look before dawn on November 2 or 3.
Mars (mag 0.8) and Regulus (mag 1.4) will shine nearby, forming a noticeable line in the sky. All four objects will be easy to see with the naked eye. Use the free Sky Tonight app to check whether the event is visible from your location and find the exact local timing.
| City | Time zone | Visibility start | Visibility end | Best time | Separation | Moon altitude | Jupiter altitude |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles, USA | PST (UTC−8) | Nov 2, 01:05 | Nov 2, 05:50 | Nov 2, 05:50 | 4.9° | 69° | 65° |
| New York, USA | EST (UTC−5) | Nov 3, 01:25 | Nov 3, 06:00 | Nov 3, 01:25 | 5.3° | 10° | 15° |
| Buenos Aires, Argentina | ART (UTC−3) | Nov 3, 03:35 | Nov 3, 05:25 | Nov 3, 03:35 | 4.8° | 10° | 12° |
| London, UK | GMT (UTC+0) | Nov 3, 01:10 | Nov 3, 06:20 | Nov 3, 01:10 | 2.4° | 10° | 12° |
| Cape Town, South Africa | SAST (UTC+2) | Nov 3, 03:20 | Nov 3, 05:15 | Nov 3, 03:20 | 1.9° | 10° | 11° |
| New Delhi, India | IST (UTC+5:30) | Nov 3, 01:35 | Nov 3, 06:10 | Nov 3, 02:45 | 0.5° | 25° | 25° |
| Hong Kong, China | HKT (UTC+8) | Nov 3, 01:45 | Nov 3, 06:05 | Nov 3, 05:55 | 0.5° | 68° | 68° |
| Auckland, New Zealand | NZDT (UTC+13) | Nov 3, 04:00 | Nov 3, 05:45 | Nov 3, 05:45 | 3.3° | 28° | 27° |
Visibility window: both objects are at least 10° above the horizon, and the Sun is below −6°. Best time: the moment when the objects appear closest together from the listed city within the visibility window. Moon altitude / Planet altitude: each object’s height above the horizon at the best time. Separation: the angular distance between the objects as seen from the listed city.
Observers in parts of Australia, Indonesia, southern India, and Malaysia may also witness a lunar occultation of Jupiter. In Australia, however, it will occur in daylight and be harder to observe. Never point binoculars or a telescope toward the Sun. Between 20:45 UTC on November 2 and 00:45 UTC on November 3, the Moon will pass directly in front of Jupiter, briefly hiding the planet from view.
November 15–16: Mars near Jupiter
- Conjunction time: November 15, 02:42 UTC (November 14, 09:42 PM EST)
- Conjunction distance: 1°14′
- Close approach time: November 16, 02:04 UTC (November 15, 09:04 PM EST)
- Close approach distance: 1°11′
On November 15–16, Mars (mag 0.7) and Jupiter (mag −2.1) will shine close together in the constellation Leo. The planets will rise around midnight and climb higher until dawn. Both will be easy to spot with the naked eye near the Sickle asterism.
| City | Time zone | Viewing begins | Best time | Viewing ends | Separation | Mars altitude | Jupiter altitude |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London, UK | GMT (UTC+0) | Nov 16, 00:10 | Nov 16, 01:55 | Nov 16, 06:40 | 1.2° | 27° | 26° |
| New York, USA | EST (UTC−5) | Nov 16, 00:15 | Nov 16, 00:15 | Nov 16, 06:10 | 1.2° | 10° | 10° |
| Los Angeles, USA | PST (UTC−8) | Nov 16, 00:20 | Nov 16, 00:20 | Nov 16, 06:00 | 1.2° | 11° | 11° |
| Singapore, Singapore | SGT (UTC+8) | Nov 16, 02:00 | Nov 16, 06:25 | Nov 16, 06:25 | 1.2° | 71° | 72° |
| New Delhi, India | IST (UTC+5:30) | Nov 16, 00:55 | Nov 16, 06:15 | Nov 16, 06:15 | 1.2° | 75° | 74° |
| Sydney, Australia | AEDT (UTC+11) | Nov 16, 02:45 | Nov 16, 05:15 | Nov 16, 05:15 | 1.2° | 34° | 35° |
| Auckland, New Zealand | NZDT (UTC+13) | Nov 16, 03:20 | Nov 16, 05:30 | Nov 16, 05:30 | 1.2° | 30° | 32° |
- Viewing begins: Both planets are at least 10° above the horizon.
- Best time: Mars and Jupiter appear closest within the listed viewing window, rounded to an available five-minute time. When this time is near the start of the window, observing later gives a higher view above the horizon.
- Viewing ends: The Sun reaches about 6° below the horizon, and the brightening sky makes the planets harder to see.
- Separation and altitudes are provided for the “best time”.
November 14–20, 2026: Jupiter in a four-planet alignment
From November 14 to 20, Jupiter will join Mars, Venus, and Mercury in a four-planet alignment before sunrise. Jupiter and Mars will appear in the constellation Leo while it’s still dark. Venus will rise in Virgo closer to dawn. Mercury will be the hardest to spot. It will be located low on the horizon in the dawn sky.
The complete lineup will be easier to observe from the Northern Hemisphere. All four planets are bright enough for naked-eye observation under suitable conditions. Explore our November planetary alignment guide for exact viewing times and observing tips.
November 22, 2026: Jupiter, Mars, and Regulus form a triangle
On November 22, Jupiter, Mars, and Regulus will form a compact, nearly isosceles triangle in Leo. Reddish Mars (mag 0.6), brilliant white Jupiter (mag −2.1), and blue-white Regulus (mag 1.4) will offer a contrast of brightness and color.
Mars will appear approximately 2.4° from both Jupiter and Regulus, while Jupiter and Regulus will form the longer base, spanning about 3.9°. The triangle’s proportions will gradually change as the planets move against the background stars.
All three objects will be visible to the naked eye under clear skies. Binoculars with a field of view wider than about 4° will show the entire triangle together.
The table gives local viewing windows on November 22, 2026. Best time prioritizes the triangle’s symmetry.
| City | Time zone | Visibility start | Visibility end | Best time | Side difference | Lowest object | Altitude |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles, USA | PST (UTC−8) | Nov 22, 00:15 | Nov 22, 06:05 | Nov 22, 00:15 | 12′ | Regulus | 10° |
| New York, USA | EST (UTC−5) | Nov 22, 00:15 | Nov 22, 06:20 | Nov 22, 00:15 | 8′ | Regulus | 10° |
| London, UK | GMT (UTC+0) | Nov 22, 00:15 | Nov 22, 06:50 | Nov 22, 00:15 | <1′ | Regulus | 11° |
| Nairobi, Kenya | EAT (UTC+3) | Nov 22, 01:25 | Nov 22, 05:50 | Nov 22, 03:15 | <1′ | Regulus | 38° |
| New Delhi, India | IST (UTC+5:30) | Nov 22, 00:50 | Nov 22, 06:20 | Nov 22, 05:45 | <1′ | Regulus | 71° |
| Tokyo, Japan | JST (UTC+9) | Nov 22, 00:05 | Nov 22, 05:55 | Nov 22, 05:55 | 5′ | Regulus | 66° |
| Sydney, Australia | AEDT (UTC+11) | Nov 22, 02:30 | Nov 22, 05:10 | Nov 22, 05:10 | 9′ | Mars | 36° |
| Auckland, New Zealand | NZDT (UTC+13) | Nov 22, 03:05 | Nov 22, 05:25 | Nov 22, 05:25 | 12′ | Mars | 32° |
- Visibility window: All three objects are at least 10° above the horizon, and the Sun is below −6°.
- Best time: The moment within the window when the Mars–Jupiter and Mars–Regulus separations are closest to equal, rounded to an available five-minute time.
- Side difference: The difference between those two separations at the listed best time.
- Altitude: The height of the lowest object at the listed best time, rounded to the nearest degree
To plan your observation, find Jupiter, Mars, and Regulus on the sky map in Sky Tonight. Set your location and use Time Machine to preview the triangle and check its position at different times.
November 28, 2026: Four Galilean moons on one side of Jupiter
On November 28, Jupiter’s four largest moons — Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto — will appear on the same side of the planet. Around 06:00 UTC, all four will be positioned beside Jupiter.
A small telescope will provide the clearest view of the moons as tiny points of light beside Jupiter. Steadily supported binoculars may also reveal them, although the planet’s glare can make the closest moons harder to distinguish.
Timing matters because the moons’ positions change noticeably over a few hours. In Sky Tonight, find Jupiter on the sky map and zoom in. Then use Time Machine to preview the moons’ positions and find a suitable viewing time for your location.
November 30, 2026: Moon near Jupiter; lunar occultation of Jupiter
- Occultation start: 07:15 UTC
- Occultation end: 09:32 UTC
- Close approach time: 08:24 UTC (03:24 EST)
- Close approach distance: 1°03′
- Conjunction time: 09:16 UTC (04:16 EST)
- Conjunction distance: 1°09′
Around November 30, the waning gibbous Moon will appear near brilliant Jupiter (mag −2.2) in the constellation Leo. Reddish Mars (mag 0.4) and blue-white Regulus (mag 1.4), Leo’s brightest star, will be nearby. Look after midnight or shortly before dawn, when the group has climbed higher above the horizon.
The Moon is more than half lit and easy to find — it stands out if the sky is clear. Finding Jupiter will also be easy — it’s the brightest dot near the Moon. Then look for the fainter, reddish Mars and blue-white Regulus. All four are visible to the naked eye, even from many urban locations.
Around the Moon’s closest approach to Jupiter, the four objects will occupy a patch of sky roughly 6° across. It’s a bit more than three fingers held together at arm’s length. Wide-field binoculars may show the whole group at once.
With a small telescope, explore each object separately. Look for Jupiter’s cloud bands and its largest moons, which appear as tiny points beside the planet. On our Moon, examine the terminator — the boundary between light and darkness, where long shadows make craters and mountains stand out.
| City | Time zone | Visibility start | Visibility end | Best time | Separation | Moon altitude | Jupiter altitude |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles, USA | PST (UTC−8) | Nov 29, 23:30 | Nov 30, 06:10 | Nov 29, 23:30 | 1.3° | 10° | 11° |
| New York, USA | EST (UTC−5) | Nov 29, 23:25 | Nov 30, 06:30 | Nov 30, 02:00 | 1.3° | 39° | 40° |
| Santiago, Chile | CLST (UTC−3) | Nov 30, 02:30 | Nov 30, 06:00 | Nov 30, 05:15 | 0.3° | 37° | 37° |
| London, UK | GMT (UTC+0) | Nov 29, 23:20 | Nov 30, 07:05 | Nov 30, 07:05 | 1.9° | 45° | 47° |
| New Delhi, India | IST (UTC+5:30) | Nov 30, 00:00 | Nov 30, 06:30 | Nov 30, 06:30 | 4.6° | 69° | 71° |
| Tokyo, Japan | JST (UTC+9) | Nov 30, 23:35 | Dec 1, 06:05 | Nov 30, 23:35 | 4.7° | 10° | 15° |
| Sydney, Australia | AEDT (UTC+11) | Dec 1, 01:50 | Dec 1, 05:10 | Dec 1, 01:50 | 4.1° | 10° | 12° |
| Auckland, New Zealand | NZDT (UTC+13) | Dec 1, 02:20 | Dec 1, 05:25 | Dec 1, 02:20 | 3.2° | 10° | 11° |
Visibility window: both objects are at least 10° above the horizon, and the Sun is below −6°. Best time: the moment when the objects appear closest together from the listed city within the visibility window. Moon altitude / Planet altitude: each object’s height above the horizon at the best time. Separation: the angular distance between the objects as seen from the listed city.
Observers in parts of southern Argentina, Chile, Antarctica and the Falkland Islands may also witness a lunar occultation of Jupiter. For some locations, the occultation will occur in daylight and therefore will be harder to see. Between 07:15 UTC and 09:32 UTC on November 30, the Moon will pass directly in front of Jupiter, briefly hiding the planet from view.
By the way, Regulus gets to hide too. The Moon will also occult the star for observers in parts of New Zealand and Norfolk Island, from 13:11 UTC to 15:36 UTC on November 30, 2026 (December 1 in the local time zone). How cool is it that the Moon will hide both a planet and a star within just a few hours?
What Does Jupiter Look Like in Space?
Jupiter is a giant ball of gas wrapped in swirling cloud bands. It doesn’t have a solid surface, and scientists still aren’t sure whether it has a solid core deep inside or if it’s just a super-hot, dense mixture all the way through. Jupiter also has rings, but they’re faint and difficult to see from Earth.
Jupiter’s atmosphere just gets denser the farther down you go. It consists of about 90 % hydrogen and 10 % helium — which is very similar to the Sun’s composition.
Jupiter’s formation
Like other planets in the Solar System, Jupiter formed about 4.5 billion years ago, when gravity pulled gas and dust together to create the gas giant. The planet took most of the mass left over after the formation of the Sun and became more than twice as massive as all the other planets combined. About 4 billion years ago, Jupiter settled into its current position as the fifth planet from the Sun.
Jupiter’s structure
We still don’t know for sure what Jupiter’s core looks like. An analysis of the data from NASA’s Juno mission suggest that Jupiter has a large, diffuse core, partly mixed with the surrounding hydrogen, although its detailed structure remains uncertain. What we know is that the core is surrounded by a layer of liquid metallic hydrogen that extends out to 90% of the planet’s radius.
Surface of Jupiter
This gas giant doesn’t have a hard surface like we do on Earth. The planet is mostly swirling gases and liquids. A spacecraft can’t land on it or fly through the planet due to the extreme pressures and temperatures that will crush, melt, and vaporize it.
What is the Great Red Spot on Jupiter?
The Great Red Spot is a giant storm (larger than Earth) located in Jupiter’s Southern Hemisphere. It consists of crimson-colored clouds that spin counterclockwise at a speed that exceeds any storm’s speed on the Earth.
The Great Red Spot was first reported in 1831, although its exact formation date remains unknown. Its first photograph was taken in 1879. Astronomers once linked it to the “Permanent Spot” observed by Giovanni Domenico Cassini and others between 1665 and 1713. However, a 2024 study of historical observations suggests that these were probably two different storms, with Cassini’s spot disappearing before the current Great Red Spot was first recorded.
Still, this storm has an incredibly long lifespan. It can be explained by the absence of a solid surface on Jupiter. On Earth, hurricanes disintegrate when they reach solid ground, but the Red Spot simply doesn’t have land to collide with.
How to see the Great Red Spot
You can spot Jupiter’s Great Red Spot (GRS) with a 100 mm (4-inch) telescope in good sky conditions; a 150 mm (6-inch) or larger telescope generally makes it easier. Since Jupiter rotates rapidly, the Great Red Spot periodically rotates into and out of our view. To find out when it’s visible from your location, use the astronomical calendar in the Sky Tonight app.
- Open Sky Tonight.
- Search for “Jupiter” and open its object card.
- Go to the Events tab.
- There you’ll see the times when the Great Red Spot is visible from your location.
Before planning the observation, make sure Jupiter is visible in the sky. The planet is best observed around opposition and is not visible around solar conjunction.
To quickly check whether Jupiter is visible tonight, tap the telescope icon at the bottom of the app screen and see if Jupiter appears in the list.
Is the Great Red Spot shrinking?
The Great Red Spot on Jupiter has been shrinking over time — from a length of about 39,000 km (24,200 miles) in 1879 to about 14,000 km (8,700 miles) in 2024. The spot is also becoming more rounded. Astronomers suppose the shrinking may be caused by a change in the Great Red Spot’s “diet”. The growth and stability of this gigantic storm might depend on devouring smaller storms — and lately, there has been a decline in such storms near the Great Red Spot.
Jupiter’s Moons
Jupiter and its numerous satellites resemble a miniature Solar System and present a scientific interest for astronomers around the world.
How many moons does Jupiter have?
Jupiter has 115 moons. Most of them are small — many measure only a few kilometers across. As of 2026, Jupiter is losing to Saturn in terms of the number of satellites; according to NASA, the ringed planet has 293 moons.
What are the names of Jupiter’s 4 largest moons?
Jupiter’s four largest moons are Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. They’re called the Galilean moons after their discoverer and are as remarkable as Jupiter itself.
Ganymede is bigger than Mercury and is known as the largest natural satellite in the Solar System. It even has its own magnetic field and can have a subsurface ocean.
Europa, which is about 90% the size of the Earth’s Moon, has a very high potential to be habitable — there is evidence of a vast ocean just beneath its icy surface. Its subsurface ocean may contain more than twice as much water as all of Earth’s oceans combined. The Europa Clipper spacecraft is now on its way to Europa to confirm whether it has conditions suitable for life.
Io, that’s slightly larger than our Moon, is the most volcanically active body in the Solar System. It has over 400 active volcanoes on its surface!
Callisto, which is about the same size as Mercury, is the third-largest moon in our Solar System. Its surface is the most heavily cratered of any known object in the Solar System. Like Ganymede and Europa, it can have an underground ocean of liquid water beneath its icy crust.
How to see Jupiter’s Galilean moons?
To see Jupiter’s Galilean moons, simply point your telescope at Jupiter. The four largest moons — Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto — are easy to spot even with a small telescope. A decent pair of binoculars can also show them as tiny points of light close to the planet, though a telescope will show them more clearly.
If you want to tell the moons apart and check where each one is at the moment you’re observing, use the Sky Tonight app. Open the app, type a moon’s name (for example, “Io”) in the search bar, open the result, and tap the target icon — the app will show the moon’s current position.
The moons don’t always appear as dots beside Jupiter. Depending on their positions, you may also notice:
- Transit: a moon passing in front of Jupiter’s disk. It may look bright near the limb, appear dark against the clouds, or be difficult to distinguish.
- Shadow transit: a small dark spot moving across Jupiter — the moon’s shadow on Jupiter’s cloud tops.
- Occultation: a moon passing behind Jupiter, so it disappears for some time from your point of view.
To find out when these events will happen, search for a Galilean moon in Sky Tonight (for example, “Ganymede”), open its object card, and check the Events tab. There you’ll see when the moon passes in front of Jupiter, behind it, or casts a shadow, as seen from Earth.
The most notable events are double transits, when two Galilean moons (or their shadows) cross Jupiter at the same time. Find them in the Calendar window by tapping the Calendar icon at the bottom of the main screen. There, look for the planet icon with horizontal bands and a small dot on its disk.
Does Jupiter Have Rings?
The Jovian ring system was the third ring system discovered in the Solar System, after those of Saturn and Uranus. Jupiter’s rings are faint and mostly consist of dust; they’re likely leftovers from the dust released when meteoroids strike Jupiter’s small inner moons.
How many rings does Jupiter have?
Jupiter has four rings: a faint halo ring (the closest to the planet), a relatively bright but very thin main ring, and two wide and thick gossamer rings — the Amalthea and the Thebe. The last two are named after the moons of whose material they consist. You can take a closer look at the Jovian ring system mosaic to understand the Jovian ring system better.
Are Jupiter’s rings visible?
You surely won’t see Jupiter’s rings with the naked eye since they’re too faint and tenuous. For ground-based observation, the largest telescopes available are required. Spacecraft can image the rings in visible light, especially when they are backlit by the Sun. Infrared observations can also help reveal them.
How Big Is Jupiter?
Jupiter is considered the giant or the Jovian planet, together with Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. When ancient astronomers named Jupiter after the Roman ruler of all gods, they had no idea about its enormous size, surpassing other planets. Yet, they came up with a very fitting name.
Is Jupiter the biggest planet in the Solar System?
With a radius of 69,911 km (43,441 mi), Jupiter is the biggest planet in the Solar System. In comparison, the second-biggest planet, Saturn, has a radius of 58,232 km (36,184 mi). Jupiter is also the most massive planet — it’s more than twice as massive as all the other planets combined.
Jupiter size compared to Earth
Are you struggling to imagine something as huge as Jupiter? Let’s say that it would take more than 1,300 Earths by volume to build a single Jupiter. If the gas giant were the size of a basketball, the Earth would be the size of a grape.
Jupiter’s Orbit and Rotation
Each planet takes a certain amount of time to complete one orbit around the Sun and one rotation around its axis. As we live on the Earth, we take the local days (24 hours) and years (365.25 days) as a standard. Let’s see how different from our planet Jupiter is.
How long is a day on Jupiter?
Despite being the largest planet, Jupiter is also the fastest-spinning planet in the Solar System; therefore, it has the shortest days. One day on Jupiter lasts slightly less than 10 hours — the exact time varies from 9 hours and 56 minutes around the poles to 9 hours and 50 minutes close to the equator. The reason behind this difference is that Jupiter is a gas planet and doesn’t rotate as a solid sphere. Instead, its equator rotates slightly faster than the polar regions, which leads to the distinction in the day length in different areas.
How long is a year on Jupiter?
One Jovian year takes 11.8618 Earth years or 4,332.59 Earth days — this is how long it takes the planet to orbit the Sun. In comparison, the second-largest planet Saturn has an orbital period of around 29 Earth years, and the smallest planet Mercury revolves around the Sun every 88 Earth days.
How Far Away Is Jupiter?
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars lie in between them. There is also the asteroid belt located roughly midway between Mars and Jupiter’s orbits.
How far is Jupiter from the Sun?
The gas giant is 5.2 AU from the Sun or 778 mln km (484 mln mi) away. In comparison, Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun, is 0.4 AU or roughly 58 mln km away (35 mln mi) from our star. Quick reminder: one astronomical unit (AU) is the distance between the Sun and the Earth.
How far is Jupiter from the Earth?
The distance between planets is constantly changing because they are moving along their orbits. Jupiter is only 588 mln km (365 mln mi) away when it’s closest to our planet and 968 mln km (601 mln mi) at its farthest.
How long would it take to get to Jupiter?
Travel time depends on the spacecraft’s trajectory. Voyager 1 reached Jupiter in 546 days, while Voyager 2 took 688 days. However, if you’re actually planning to go into Jupiter’s orbit, you’ll need to be going slowly enough when you reach the planet. For example, NASA’s Galileo spacecraft flight duration was 2,242 days before it finally arrived at Jupiter.
Missions to Jupiter
Past missions to Jupiter
Since 1973, numerous spacecraft have visited Jupiter. Here, we’ll mention the most iconic missions.
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The first one was NASA’s Pioneer 10, which provided hundreds of Jupiter’s photos and collected some measurements. The Pioneer 11 in 1974 got three times closer to the planet than its predecessor.
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In 1979, the famous Voyager spacecraft discovered the Jovian ring system and took thousands of pictures of clouds and storms on the planet. Those pictures also showed that the mysterious Great Red Spot is a gigantic storm. Moreover, Voyager 1 and 2 discovered dozens of volcanoes on Jupiter’s moon Io — the first found active volcanoes on another space object.
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NASA’s Galileo spacecraft became the first to orbit Jupiter in 1995. The Galileo mission, among many other things, examined Jupiter’s atmosphere and immense magnetic field and closely studied the Galilean moons. Several years later, in 2000, the Cassini spacecraft that was heading to Saturn took some of the best photos we have of Jupiter.
Current and upcoming missions to Jupiter
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NASA’s Juno spacecraft entered a polar orbit of Jupiter in 2016. Juno is studying Jupiter’s atmosphere and interior structure to determine the composition of the planet and to help scientists learn how giant planets were formed. The mission will continue until the end of Juno’s operational life.
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NASA’s Europa Clipper probe was launched in October 2024 and is scheduled to enter orbit around Jupiter in April 2030. The spacecraft will perform a series of fly-bys of Europa and determine whether its underground ocean is habitable. Watch our short video to learn more about Europa Clipper.
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ESA’s Juice spacecraft (Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer) will enter Jupiter’s orbit in 2031. It will explore the gas giant and three of its moons: Europa, Callisto, and Ganymede. Like Europa Clipper, Juice will attempt to determine whether Jupiter’s moons have conditions suitable for extraterrestrial life.
Jupiter F.A.Q.
What color is Jupiter?
Jupiter is a beautifully colored planet covered with mainly white, orange, brown, and red clouds; the Great Red Spot has a reddish-brown color.
Who discovered Jupiter?
Jupiter was known from ancient times, but the first person who provided detailed observations was Galileo Galilei in 1610.
Can a human live on Jupiter?
Well, landing on Jupiter is a bad idea for human beings. The word “land” itself isn’t very appropriate since there is no solid land on Jupiter. You would simply fall into the planet, and the extreme pressure and temperature would be fatal long before you could reach its core.
What is between Mars and Jupiter?
There is the asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. This donut-shaped region contains solid, irregularly shaped bodies of different sizes and shapes called asteroids and minor planets.
Where is Jupiter in the sky?
The easiest way to find Jupiter in the sky is to use the free stargazing app Sky Tonight. Just tap the magnifier icon, type “Jupiter” in the search field, and tap the target icon next to the corresponding result. The app will show you the planet’s position in your sky.
Did you know?
- Jupiter has only weak seasonal changes due to a very small tilt of only 3 degrees. However, there are a lot of long-term storms on the gas giant.
- Jupiter is a failed star. It would need more than 70 times its current mass to start a nuclear fusion process and become a real star.
- Jupiter has the largest ocean in the Solar System — it’s made of hydrogen instead of water.
- Jupiter has the strongest magnetic field of any planet in the Solar System.
All About Jupiter: Conclusion
Now you know all the basic facts about Jupiter — from its size to upcoming exploration missions. Want to test your newly gained knowledge? Take our fun quiz about the gas giant! To easily find and identify Jupiter in the sky in your location, use the Sky Tonight app.
Wishing you clear skies and happy observations!
