01 Pick your destination

Solar Exploration

Jupiter

Jupiter

Jupiter is the biggest planet in our solar system. It's similar to a star, but it never got big enough to start burning. Jupiter is covered in swirling cloud stripes. It has big storms like the Great Red Spot, which has been going for hundreds of years. Jupiter is a gas giant and doesn't have a solid surface, but it may have a solid inner core about the size of Earth. Jupiter also has rings, but they're too faint to see very well.

Avg. Distance

484 million miles

Year Length

4,333 d

Moons

75

Composition

Gas Giant (H, He)

Surface Gravity

24.79 m/s²

Mean Temperature

-110°C

Atmosphere

Hydrogen, Helium

Historical Missions

Exploration Milestones

Galileo

1989

First mission to orbit Jupiter and drop a probe into its atmosphere.

Mission Success

Juno

2011

Studying Jupiter's gravity, magnetic field, and polar magnetosphere.

Mission Success

NASA Gallery

Real Mission Photos

Jupiter Plume

Jupiter Plume

Jupiter Ahoy!

Jupiter Ahoy!

Changing Lightning Storms on Jupiter

Changing Lightning Storms on Jupiter

Jupiter Violent Storms

Jupiter Violent Storms

Jupiter Great Red Spot

Jupiter Great Red Spot

Time Series of Jupiter Aurora

Time Series of Jupiter Aurora

Jupiter from Voyager 2

Jupiter from Voyager 2

Sponsored