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JUPITER'S NAME
Jupiter was named after the Roman primary god, Jupiter.
Who discovered Jupiter, the largest of the planets in the solar system?
Jupiter is the
largest planet in our solar system. It is also one of the brighter objects in
the night sky. No one knows for sure who discovered Jupiter, but we know the
ancient Greeks named him after the god, Zeus.
There
actually is no known single person who “discovered” Jupiter. It will never
be known who discovered Jupiter. It has certainly been known since historical
times and it would certainly have been seen by the earliest of humans as they
looked up into the skies. There is no single person who is credited with the
discovery of Jupiter.
In the early days of mankind, the planets were often tracked with
startling accuracy. Ancient civilizations were able to distinguish the stars
from the planets, because the planets moved from night to night. They were
designated as “wanderers” by Chinese and Arabic astronomers. In fact, Jupiter’s name originates from
the Roman God of Jupiter.
The Greeks named the planet first after Zeus, and this was then translated into the Roman’s
name for Zeus, "Jupiter." Both the Greeks and the Romans recognized
that, just as Jupiter was the King of all Gods, the planet Jupiter was the King
of all planets.
Knowledge of the planets predates telescopes, when ancient civilizations
realized that the planets were separate entities from the stars. Jupiter is actually
the third brightest object in the sky, so it’s plausible that humans observed
it before organized science, or even civilization, was formed.
The Romans believed that
the planets—bigger and more visible than the stars—exposed secrets about their
Gods. However, although ancient civilizations and humans could see Jupiter and
they understood that it was in some way different than the stars, man did not
really understand that it was a planet until the 16th century.
Jupiter has always inspired curiosity. It is one of only five
planets that you can see without the assistance of a telescope on
a clear night. It has a storm—the Great Red Spot—that has been raging since at least
the 17th century. Composed primarily of hydrogen and helium, the planet also has over sixty moons that
circle it. One of Jupiter’s moons even appears to have ice on its surface. It
has even been explored by spaceships, such as the Pioneer mission. Yet, who was
the first person to discover this large planet? Who was the first person that
led to the latter curiosity for this great giant?
Jupiter is one of the five planets that can be seen in the night sky without using a telescope or binoculars. The planet Jupiter has been known since ancient times and was observed for thousands of years by the people of many different cultures. Galileo was the first to observe Jupiter with a telescope, as Jupiter can be seen with the naked eye, the ancients probably the ones who discovered it. Jupiter can be seen from planet earth, so it is hard to tell who actually saw it first! We will never know when Jupiter was discovered.
As it can be the third brightest thing in the night sky, it must have been known to the ancients. It's impossible to know. It's always been visible in the sky to the naked eye as long as man is known to have existed. The planet Jupiter is easily visible to the unaided human eye at night. As such it has been known to man since ancient times and therefore there is no attributed discoverer. The discoverer of Jupiter is not known since it visible with the naked eye.
The fact that it is a planet and not a star was known in ancient times by the Chinese and Arabic astronomers. They were called 'wanderers' because they did not stay fixed like stars.
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with mass one-thousandth that of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in the Solar System combined. Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Together, these four planets are sometimes referred to as the Jovian or outer planets. The planet was known by astronomers of ancient times, and was associated with the mythology and religious beliefs of many cultures.
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with mass one-thousandth that of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in the Solar System combined. Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Together, these four planets are sometimes referred to as the Jovian or outer planets. The planet was known by astronomers of ancient times, and was associated with the mythology and religious beliefs of many cultures.
The Romans named the planet after the Roman god Jupiter. When viewed from Earth, Jupiter can reach an apparent magnitude of −2.94, making it on average the third-brightest object in the night skyafter the Moon and Venus. (Mars can briefly match Jupiter's brightness at certain points in its orbit.)
Jupiter is primarily composed of hydrogen with a quarter of its mass being helium, although helium only comprises about a tenth of the number of molecules. It may also have a rocky core of heavier elements, but like the other gas giants, Jupiter lacks a well-defined solid surface. Because of its rapid rotation, the planet's shape is that of 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 17th century when it was first seen by telescope. Surrounding Jupiter is a faint planetary ring system and a powerful magnetosphere. There are also at least 67 moons, including the four large moons called the Galilean moons that were first discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1610. Ganymede, the largest of these moons, has a diameter greater than that of the planet Mercury.
Jupiter has been explored on several occasions by robotic spacecraft, most notably during the early Pioneerand Voyager flyby missions and later by the Galileo orbiter. The most recent probe to visit Jupiter was thePluto-bound New Horizons spacecraft in late February 2007. The probe used the gravity from Jupiter to increase its speed. Future targets for exploration in the Jovian system include the possible ice-covered liquid ocean on the moon Europa.
The most famous feature of Jupiter is the Great Red Spot. This violent storm has been watched from Earth since the 1600's. But it wasn't until the 1930's that we knew what Jupiter was made of. Astronomer Rupert Wildt researched the planet and found theatmosphere is mostly hydrogen and helium.Beginning in 1973, the United States sent four spacecraft to observe this giant planet. Pioneer 10 and 11, along with Voyager I and II, sailed past Jupiter. They gathered many images that we still see today.
Jupiter's moons are too! Galileo discovered four of the larger moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto in 1610. Most of the other moons were found by the Voyager spacecraft during its flyby.
Jupiter helped revolutionize the way we saw the universe and ourselves in 1610, when Galileo discovered Jupiter's four large moons — Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto, now known as the Galilean moons. This was the first time celestial bodies were not seen circling the Earth, major support of the Copernican view that Earth was not the center of the universe.
Basic Astronomical facts about Jupiter:
Jupiter is the most massive planet in our solar system, more than twice as massive as all the other planets combined, and had it been about 80 times more massive, it would have actually become a star instead of a planet. Its atmosphere resembles that of the sun, made up mostly of hydrogen and helium, and with four large moons and many smaller moons in orbit around it, Jupiter by itself forms a kind of miniature solar system. All told, the immense volume of Jupiter could hold more than 1,300 Earths.
Jupiter is primarily composed of hydrogen with a quarter of its mass being helium, although helium only comprises about a tenth of the number of molecules. It may also have a rocky core of heavier elements, but like the other gas giants, Jupiter lacks a well-defined solid surface. Because of its rapid rotation, the planet's shape is that of 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 17th century when it was first seen by telescope. Surrounding Jupiter is a faint planetary ring system and a powerful magnetosphere. There are also at least 67 moons, including the four large moons called the Galilean moons that were first discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1610. Ganymede, the largest of these moons, has a diameter greater than that of the planet Mercury.
Jupiter has been explored on several occasions by robotic spacecraft, most notably during the early Pioneerand Voyager flyby missions and later by the Galileo orbiter. The most recent probe to visit Jupiter was thePluto-bound New Horizons spacecraft in late February 2007. The probe used the gravity from Jupiter to increase its speed. Future targets for exploration in the Jovian system include the possible ice-covered liquid ocean on the moon Europa.
The most famous feature of Jupiter is the Great Red Spot. This violent storm has been watched from Earth since the 1600's. But it wasn't until the 1930's that we knew what Jupiter was made of. Astronomer Rupert Wildt researched the planet and found theatmosphere is mostly hydrogen and helium.Beginning in 1973, the United States sent four spacecraft to observe this giant planet. Pioneer 10 and 11, along with Voyager I and II, sailed past Jupiter. They gathered many images that we still see today.
Jupiter's moons are too! Galileo discovered four of the larger moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto in 1610. Most of the other moons were found by the Voyager spacecraft during its flyby.
Jupiter helped revolutionize the way we saw the universe and ourselves in 1610, when Galileo discovered Jupiter's four large moons — Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto, now known as the Galilean moons. This was the first time celestial bodies were not seen circling the Earth, major support of the Copernican view that Earth was not the center of the universe.
Basic Astronomical facts about Jupiter:
Jupiter is the largest planet in our Solar System. It has a diameter of
about 142,800 kilometers. Its closest distance from the Earth is about 588 million
kilometers. From Sun its average distance is 778 million kilometers. Jupiter
takes 11.86 years to make one orbit around the Sun and it takes 9 hours and 55
minutes to complete one rotation on its axis. Its average surface temperature
is about -148°C. Its average geocentric motion per day is 00°04'59".
Jupiter have 63 natural satellite of its own out of those Io, Europa, Ganymede
and Callisto are well known. Jupiter retrogrades for about 110 days per year.
Physical Characteristics of the Planet Jupiter
Physical Characteristics of the Planet Jupiter
The colorful bands of Jupiter are arranged in dark belts and light zones created by strong east-west winds in the planet's upper atmosphere traveling more than 400 miles per hour (640 kilometers per hour). The white clouds in the zones are made of crystals of frozen ammonia, while darker clouds of other chemicals are found in the belts. At the deepest visible levels are blue clouds.
The most extraordinary feature on Jupiter is undoubtedly the Great Red Spot, a giant hurricane-like storm seen for more than 300 years. At its widest, the Great Red Spot is three times the diameter of the Earth, and its edge spins counterclockwise around its center at a speed of about 225 miles (360 kilometers) per hour. The color of the storm, which usually varies from brick red to slightly brown, may come from small amounts of sulfur and phosphorus in the ammonia crystals in Jupiter's clouds. Every now and again, the Great Red Spot seems to fade entirely.
Jupiter's gargantuan magnetic field is the strongest of all the planets in the solar system at nearly 20,000 times the strength of Earth's. It traps electrically charged particles in an intense belt of electrons and other electrically charged particles that regularly blasts the planet's moons and rings with a level of radiation more than 1,000 times the lethal level for a human, damaging even heavily-shielded spacecraft such as NASA's Galileo probe. The magnetosphere of Jupiter, which is comprised of these fields and particles, swells out some 600,000 to 2 million miles (1 million to 3 million kilometers) toward the sun and tapers to a tail extending more than 600 million miles (1 billion kilometers) behind Jupiter.
Jupiter spins faster than any other planet, taking a little under 10 hours to complete a turn on its axis, compared with 24 hours for Earth. This rapid spin actually makes Jupiter bulge at the equator and flatten at the poles, making the planet about 7 percent wider at the equator than at the poles.
Jupiter broadcasts radio waves strong enough to detect on Earth. These come in two forms — strong bursts that occur when Io, the closest of Jupiter's large moons, passes through certain regions of Jupiter's magnetic field, and continuous radiation from Jupiter's surface and high-energy particles in its radiation belts.
Jupiter has at least 63 moons, which are often named after the Roman god's many lovers. The four largest moons of Jupiter, now called Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto, were discovered by Galileo Galilei himself, and are appropriately known today as the Galilean satellites.
Ganymede is the largest moon in our solar system, larger even than Mercury and Pluto. It is also the only moon known to have its own magnetic field.
Io is the most volcanically active body in our solar system. The sulfur these volcanoes spew out gives Io a blotted yellow-orange appearance that is often compared to a pepperoni pizza. As Io orbits Jupiter, the planet's immense gravity causes 'tides' in Io's solid surface that rise 300 feet (100 meters) high, generating enough heat for volcanic activity.
The frozen crust of Europa is made up mostly of water ice, and it might hide a liquid ocean holding twice as much water as Earth does. Icy oceans might also exist beneath the crusts of Callisto and Ganymede.
Callisto has the lowest reflectivity, or albedo, of the four Galilean moons. This suggests that its surface might be composed of dark, colorless rock.
Jupiter's Rings
Jupiter's three rings came as a surprise when NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft discovered them around the planet's equator in 1979. Each are much fainter than Saturn's rings.
The main ring is flattened. It is about 20 miles (30 kilometers) thick and more than 4,000 miles (6,400 kilometers) wide.The inner cloud-like ring, called the halo, is roughly 12,000 miles (20,000 kilometers) thick. The halo extends halfway from the main ring down to the planet's cloudtops and expands by interaction with Jupiter's magnetic field. Both the main ring and halo are composed of small, dark particles.
The third ring, known as the gossamer ring because of its transparency, is actually three rings of microscopic debris from three of Jupiter's moons, Amalthea, Thebe and Adrastea. It is probably made up of dust particles less than 10 microns in diameter, about the same size of the particles found in cigarette smoke, and extends to an outer edge of about 80,000 miles (129,000 kilometers) from the center of the planet and inward to about 18,600 miles (30,000 kilometers).
Seven missions have flown by Jupiter — Pioneer 10, Pioneer 11, Voyager 1, Voyager 2, Ulysses, Cassini and New Horizons — while another, NASA's Galileo, actually orbited the planet.
Pioneer 10 revealed how dangerous Jupiter's radiation belt is, while Pioneer 11 provided data on the Great Red Spot and close-up pictures of its polar region. Voyager 1 and 2 helped astronomers create the first detailed maps of the Galilean satellites, discovered Jupiter's rings, revealed sulfur volcanoes on Io, and saw lightning in Jupiter's clouds. Ulysses discovered the solar wind has a much greater impact on Jupiter's magnetosphere than before suggested. New Horizons took close-up pictures of Jupiter and its largest moons.
In 1995, Galileo sent a probe plunging towards Jupiter, making the first direct measurements of its atmosphere and measuring the amount of water and other chemicals there. When Galileo ran low on fuel, the craft was intentionally crashed into Jupiter's atmosphere to avoid any risk of it slamming into and contaminating Europa, which might have an ocean below its surface capable of supporting life.
NASA is now planning a mission named Juno scheduled to launch in 2011. It will study Jupiter from a polar orbit to figure out how it and the rest of the solar system formed, which could shed light on how alien planetary systems might have developed.
As the most massive body in the solar system after the sun, the pull of Jupiter's gravity has helped shape the fate of our system. It might have violently hurled Neptune and Uranus outward. Jupiter, along with Saturn, might have slung a barrage of debris toward the inner planets early in the system's history. It might even nowadays help keep asteroids from bombarding Earth, and recent events certainly have shown that it can absorb potentially deadly impacts.
The most extraordinary feature on Jupiter is undoubtedly the Great Red Spot, a giant hurricane-like storm seen for more than 300 years. At its widest, the Great Red Spot is three times the diameter of the Earth, and its edge spins counterclockwise around its center at a speed of about 225 miles (360 kilometers) per hour. The color of the storm, which usually varies from brick red to slightly brown, may come from small amounts of sulfur and phosphorus in the ammonia crystals in Jupiter's clouds. Every now and again, the Great Red Spot seems to fade entirely.
Jupiter's gargantuan magnetic field is the strongest of all the planets in the solar system at nearly 20,000 times the strength of Earth's. It traps electrically charged particles in an intense belt of electrons and other electrically charged particles that regularly blasts the planet's moons and rings with a level of radiation more than 1,000 times the lethal level for a human, damaging even heavily-shielded spacecraft such as NASA's Galileo probe. The magnetosphere of Jupiter, which is comprised of these fields and particles, swells out some 600,000 to 2 million miles (1 million to 3 million kilometers) toward the sun and tapers to a tail extending more than 600 million miles (1 billion kilometers) behind Jupiter.
Jupiter spins faster than any other planet, taking a little under 10 hours to complete a turn on its axis, compared with 24 hours for Earth. This rapid spin actually makes Jupiter bulge at the equator and flatten at the poles, making the planet about 7 percent wider at the equator than at the poles.
Jupiter broadcasts radio waves strong enough to detect on Earth. These come in two forms — strong bursts that occur when Io, the closest of Jupiter's large moons, passes through certain regions of Jupiter's magnetic field, and continuous radiation from Jupiter's surface and high-energy particles in its radiation belts.
Jupiter's Orbital Characteristics
Composition & Structure
- Atmospheric composition (by volume)
89.8 percent molecular hydrogen, 10.2 percent
helium, minor amounts of methane, ammonia, hydrogen deuteride, ethane, water,
ammonia ice aerosols, water ice aerosols, ammonia hydrosulfide aerosols
Nearly 20,000 times stronger than Earth's
A dense core of uncertain composition,
surrounded by a helium-rich layer of fluid metallic hydrogen, wrapped up in an
atmosphere primarily made of molecular hydrogen.
- Internal structure
A core less than 10 times Earth's mass (Tristan
Guillot, "Interiors of Giant Planets Inside and Outside the Solar
System." Science Vol. 286 (5437), p. 72-77, October 1, 1999.), surrounded
by a layer of fluid metallic hydrogen extending out to 80 to 90 percent of the diameter of the planet,
enclosed in an atmosphere mostly made of gaseous and liquid hydrogen.
Orbit & Rotation
Average Distance from the Sun
English: 483,682,810 miles
Metric: 778,412,020 km
By Comparison: 5.203 times that of Earth
Perihelion (closest)
English: 460,276,100 miles
Metric: 740,742,600 km
By Comparison: 5.036 times that of Earth
Aphelion (farthest)
English: 507,089,500 miles
Metric: 816,081,400 km
By Comparison: 5.366 times that of Earth
(Source: NASA.)
Jupiter's Moons
Jupiter has at least 63 moons, which are often named after the Roman god's many lovers. The four largest moons of Jupiter, now called Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto, were discovered by Galileo Galilei himself, and are appropriately known today as the Galilean satellites.
Ganymede is the largest moon in our solar system, larger even than Mercury and Pluto. It is also the only moon known to have its own magnetic field.
Io is the most volcanically active body in our solar system. The sulfur these volcanoes spew out gives Io a blotted yellow-orange appearance that is often compared to a pepperoni pizza. As Io orbits Jupiter, the planet's immense gravity causes 'tides' in Io's solid surface that rise 300 feet (100 meters) high, generating enough heat for volcanic activity.
The frozen crust of Europa is made up mostly of water ice, and it might hide a liquid ocean holding twice as much water as Earth does. Icy oceans might also exist beneath the crusts of Callisto and Ganymede.
Callisto has the lowest reflectivity, or albedo, of the four Galilean moons. This suggests that its surface might be composed of dark, colorless rock.
Jupiter's Rings
Jupiter's three rings came as a surprise when NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft discovered them around the planet's equator in 1979. Each are much fainter than Saturn's rings.
The main ring is flattened. It is about 20 miles (30 kilometers) thick and more than 4,000 miles (6,400 kilometers) wide.The inner cloud-like ring, called the halo, is roughly 12,000 miles (20,000 kilometers) thick. The halo extends halfway from the main ring down to the planet's cloudtops and expands by interaction with Jupiter's magnetic field. Both the main ring and halo are composed of small, dark particles.
The third ring, known as the gossamer ring because of its transparency, is actually three rings of microscopic debris from three of Jupiter's moons, Amalthea, Thebe and Adrastea. It is probably made up of dust particles less than 10 microns in diameter, about the same size of the particles found in cigarette smoke, and extends to an outer edge of about 80,000 miles (129,000 kilometers) from the center of the planet and inward to about 18,600 miles (30,000 kilometers).
Research & Exploration
Seven missions have flown by Jupiter — Pioneer 10, Pioneer 11, Voyager 1, Voyager 2, Ulysses, Cassini and New Horizons — while another, NASA's Galileo, actually orbited the planet.
Pioneer 10 revealed how dangerous Jupiter's radiation belt is, while Pioneer 11 provided data on the Great Red Spot and close-up pictures of its polar region. Voyager 1 and 2 helped astronomers create the first detailed maps of the Galilean satellites, discovered Jupiter's rings, revealed sulfur volcanoes on Io, and saw lightning in Jupiter's clouds. Ulysses discovered the solar wind has a much greater impact on Jupiter's magnetosphere than before suggested. New Horizons took close-up pictures of Jupiter and its largest moons.
In 1995, Galileo sent a probe plunging towards Jupiter, making the first direct measurements of its atmosphere and measuring the amount of water and other chemicals there. When Galileo ran low on fuel, the craft was intentionally crashed into Jupiter's atmosphere to avoid any risk of it slamming into and contaminating Europa, which might have an ocean below its surface capable of supporting life.
NASA is now planning a mission named Juno scheduled to launch in 2011. It will study Jupiter from a polar orbit to figure out how it and the rest of the solar system formed, which could shed light on how alien planetary systems might have developed.
Jupiter's Gravitational Impact on the
Solar System
As the most massive body in the solar system after the sun, the pull of Jupiter's gravity has helped shape the fate of our system. It might have violently hurled Neptune and Uranus outward. Jupiter, along with Saturn, might have slung a barrage of debris toward the inner planets early in the system's history. It might even nowadays help keep asteroids from bombarding Earth, and recent events certainly have shown that it can absorb potentially deadly impacts.
Currently, Jupiter's gravitational field influences numerous asteroids that have clustered into the regions preceding and following Jupiter in its orbit around the sun. These are known as the Trojan asteroids, after three large asteroids there, Agamemnon, Achilles and Hector, names drawn from the Iliad, Homer's epic about the Trojan War.
Possibility of Life on the Planet Jupiter
If one were to dive into Jupiter's atmosphere, one would discover it to grow warmer with depth, reaching room temperature, or 70 degrees F (21 degrees C), at an altitude where the atmospheric pressure is about 10 times as great as it is on Earth. Scientists have conjectured that if Jupiter has any form of life, it might dwell at this level, and would have to be airborne. However, researchers have found no evidence for life on Jupiter.
It is common practice for a planet, moon, and many other celestial bodies to get their names from Greek or Roman mythology as well as derive their astronomical symbol from that particular personality. Some examples are Neptune the God of the Sea, Mars the God of War, Mercury the Messenger, Saturn the God of Time and father of Jupiter, Uranus the father of Saturn, Venus the Goddess of Love, and Earth, well, Earth is the only planet to buck the Greco-Roman tradition.
Jupiter is composed mostly of gas. This enormous planet radiates twice as much heat as it absorbs from the Sun. It also has an extremely strong magnetic field. It is slightly flattened at its poles and it bulges out a bit at the equator.
SIZE
Jupiter's diameter is 88,700 miles (142,800 km). This is a little more than 11 times the diameter of the Earth. Jupiter is so big that all the other planets in our Solar System could fit inside Jupiter (if it were hollow).
SPACECRAFT VISITS
Jupiter was first visited by NASA's Pioneer 10, which flew by Jupiter in 1973. Later fly-by visits included: Pioneer 11, Voyager 1, Voyager 2, Ulysses, and Galileo.
The Jupiter in Hindu Mythology
Jupiter or Brihaspati was one of the eight sons of Angiras, (son of Brahma) and Shraddha. After receiving initial knowledge from his father, Jupiter left his home in quest for spiritual knowledge and meditated for thousands of years, his penances earned him a place as guru or teacher to the demigods. His work was to guide then and advancing their cause by thwarting the designs of the Asuras.
Possibility of Life on the Planet Jupiter
If one were to dive into Jupiter's atmosphere, one would discover it to grow warmer with depth, reaching room temperature, or 70 degrees F (21 degrees C), at an altitude where the atmospheric pressure is about 10 times as great as it is on Earth. Scientists have conjectured that if Jupiter has any form of life, it might dwell at this level, and would have to be airborne. However, researchers have found no evidence for life on Jupiter.
Understanding of the Solar System
In the 16th century, scientists began to doubt the idea that Earth
was at the center of the solar system. Nicolaus Copernicus created a new heliocentricmodel for the Solar System, which showed
the Earth as revolving around the Sun. This caused a controversy with the
church, who supported the idea that the universe revolved around Earth.
However, Galileo proved Copernicus’ theory
when he observed Jupiter’s moons orbiting the planet using his telescope.
Previously, all objects were thought to orbit Earth. If Jupiter’s moons orbited
Jupiter, this disproved the notion that Earth was at the center of the
universe. Galileo’s observation of Jupiter’s moons was the first known
recording of them, and Galileo was the first individual to observe Jupiter
using a telescope.
Galileo published his observations about Jupiter in Sidereus
Nuncius in 1610,
along with his observations about the Moon, and the Milky Way. In this famous book, Galileo sketched
sixty-four distinct observations of Jupiter’s moons from January 7, 1610 to
March 2, 1610. He calculated the time that he observed the planet and her moons
by the hour and minute. Importantly, Galileo was able to realize that the moons
weren’t stars—but rather, separate entities circling Jupiter. He made this
realization by noting that they weren’t changing position like they should from
day to day, if they had been stars.
After Galileo, there
were several other astronomers who studied Jupiter and helped discover all that
is known today. In the 1660s, Cassini discovered spots and bands on the planet using
a telescope. Further, he realized that Jupiter was flat at the poles, and he
estimated the rotation period of Jupiter. Cassini further calculated tables to
determine the motion of Jupiter’s moons. The Great Red Spot may have been
discovered by Cassini as well, although this is disputed. Certainly, by 1831,
the spot was known. Heinrich Schwabe drew details of the spot in his sketches. Thus,
although the identity of the first individual that observed Jupiter is unknown,
Galileo was the first astronomer to truly examine the planet, and certainly
each scientist who has studied the planet has helped clarify some of the
mysteries of the Great Red Giant.
Jupiter has been known since very ancient times,
so how did Jupiter get its name? While it had many names throughout history,
the Roman empire had the greatest influence
over a wide portion of modern society, so the names accorded to planets by the
Romans still hold sway over astronomy. The Romans named the planet after their
king of gods, Jupiter, who was also the god of the sky and of thunder. Why
choose to name the planet Jupiter? It was the largest object in the sky;
therefore the most powerful; therefore Jupiter.
In the Roman pantheon, Jupiter began as the sky
god, concerned mainly with wine festivals and associated with the sacred oak of
the Capitol. Eventually, he was attributed the spoils of war and became a god
of war. It was believed that he caused the armies to stand strong and be
victorious. He was the main witness in all oaths. Jupiter was the central god
in the Capitoline Triad along with Juno and Minerva. He remained Rome Rome Rome ’s highest offices, internal organization, and
external relations: his image in the Republican and Imperial Capitol bore
regalia associated with Rome
It is common practice for a planet, moon, and many other celestial bodies to get their names from Greek or Roman mythology as well as derive their astronomical symbol from that particular personality. Some examples are Neptune the God of the Sea, Mars the God of War, Mercury the Messenger, Saturn the God of Time and father of Jupiter, Uranus the father of Saturn, Venus the Goddess of Love, and Earth, well, Earth is the only planet to buck the Greco-Roman tradition.
The answer to how did Jupiter get its name is
very simple. If you delve into the planet much deeper, you will find that the
planet itself is a mystery that scientists are still trying to unravel.
Jupiter is the fifth and largest planet in our solar system. This
gas giant has a thick atmosphere, 39 known moons, and a dark, barely-visible
ring. Its most prominent features are bands across its latitudes and a great
red spot (which is a storm).
Jupiter is composed mostly of gas. This enormous planet radiates twice as much heat as it absorbs from the Sun. It also has an extremely strong magnetic field. It is slightly flattened at its poles and it bulges out a bit at the equator.
SIZE
Jupiter's diameter is 88,700 miles (142,800 km). This is a little more than 11 times the diameter of the Earth. Jupiter is so big that all the other planets in our Solar System could fit inside Jupiter (if it were hollow).
MASS AND GRAVITY
Jupiter's mass is about 1.9 x 1027 kg. Although this is 318 times the mass of the Earth, the gravity on Jupiter is only 254% of the gravity on Earth. This is because Jupiter is such a large planet (and the gravitational force a planet exerts upon an object at the planet's surface is proportional to its mass and to the inverse of its radius squared).
A 100-pound person would weigh 254 pounds on Jupiter.
LENGTH OF A DAY AND YEAR ON JUPITER
It takes Jupiter 9.8 Earth hours to revolve around its axis (this is a Jovian day). It takes 11.86 Earth years for Jupiter to orbit the sun once (this is a Jovian year).
Jupiter is made up of gases and liquids, so as it rotates, its parts do not rotate at exactly the same velocity. It rotates very rapidly, and this spinning action gives Jupiter a large equatorial bulge; it looks like a slightly-flattened sphere (it is oblate)
JUPITER'S ORBIT
Jupiter is 5.2 times farther from than the Sun than the Earth. On average, it is 480,000,000 miles (778,330,000 km) from the sun.
At aphelion (the place in its orbit where Jupiter is farthest from the Sun), Jupiter is 815,700,000 km from the Sun. At perihelion (the place in its orbit where Jupiter is closest to the Sun), Jupiter is 749,900,000 km from the Sun.
Jupiter's mass is about 1.9 x 1027 kg. Although this is 318 times the mass of the Earth, the gravity on Jupiter is only 254% of the gravity on Earth. This is because Jupiter is such a large planet (and the gravitational force a planet exerts upon an object at the planet's surface is proportional to its mass and to the inverse of its radius squared).
A 100-pound person would weigh 254 pounds on Jupiter.
LENGTH OF A DAY AND YEAR ON JUPITER
It takes Jupiter 9.8 Earth hours to revolve around its axis (this is a Jovian day). It takes 11.86 Earth years for Jupiter to orbit the sun once (this is a Jovian year).
Jupiter is made up of gases and liquids, so as it rotates, its parts do not rotate at exactly the same velocity. It rotates very rapidly, and this spinning action gives Jupiter a large equatorial bulge; it looks like a slightly-flattened sphere (it is oblate)
JUPITER'S ORBIT
Jupiter is 5.2 times farther from than the Sun than the Earth. On average, it is 480,000,000 miles (778,330,000 km) from the sun.
At aphelion (the place in its orbit where Jupiter is farthest from the Sun), Jupiter is 815,700,000 km from the Sun. At perihelion (the place in its orbit where Jupiter is closest to the Sun), Jupiter is 749,900,000 km from the Sun.
Jupiter has no seasons. Seasons are caused by a tilted axis, and
Jupiter's axis is only tilted 3 degrees (not enough to cause seasons).
JUPITER'S MOONS
Jupiter has four large moons and dozens of smaller ones (there are 39 moons known so far). More moons are being found all the time.
Galileo first discovered the four largest moons of Jupiter, Io (which is volcanically active), Europa, Ganymede (the largest of Jupiter's moons, pictured at the left), and Callisto in 1610; these moons are known as the Galilean moons. Ganymede is the largest moon in the Solar System.
RINGS
Jupiter has faint, dark rings composed of tiny rock fragments and dust. These rings were discovered by NASA's Voyager 1 in 1980. The rings were investigated further when Voyager 2 flew by Jupiter. The rings have an albedo of 0.05; they do not reflect very much of the sunlight that they receive.
For more information on Jupiter's rings, click here.
TEMPERATURE
RANGE
The cloud-tops average 120 K = -153°C = -244°F.
DISCOVERY OF JUPITER
Jupiter has been well-known since ancient times. It is the third-brightest object in the night sky (after the moon and Venus).
COMET SL9 HITS JUPITER
Shoemaker-Levy 9 (SL-9) was a short-period comet that was discovered by Eugene and Carolyn Shoemaker and David H. Levy. As the comet passed close by Jupiter, Jupiter's gravitational forces broke the comet apart . Fragments of the comet collided with Jupiter for six days during July, 1994, causing huge fireballs in Jupiter's atmosphere that were visible from Earth.JUPITER'S MOONS
Jupiter has four large moons and dozens of smaller ones (there are 39 moons known so far). More moons are being found all the time.
Galileo first discovered the four largest moons of Jupiter, Io (which is volcanically active), Europa, Ganymede (the largest of Jupiter's moons, pictured at the left), and Callisto in 1610; these moons are known as the Galilean moons. Ganymede is the largest moon in the Solar System.
RINGS
Jupiter has faint, dark rings composed of tiny rock fragments and dust. These rings were discovered by NASA's Voyager 1 in 1980. The rings were investigated further when Voyager 2 flew by Jupiter. The rings have an albedo of 0.05; they do not reflect very much of the sunlight that they receive.
For more information on Jupiter's rings, click here.
The cloud-tops average 120 K = -153°C = -244°F.
DISCOVERY OF JUPITER
Jupiter has been well-known since ancient times. It is the third-brightest object in the night sky (after the moon and Venus).
COMET SL9 HITS JUPITER
SPACECRAFT VISITS
Jupiter was first visited by NASA's Pioneer 10, which flew by Jupiter in 1973. Later fly-by visits included: Pioneer 11, Voyager 1, Voyager 2, Ulysses, and Galileo.
The Jupiter in Hindu Mythology
Jupiter or Brihaspati was one of the eight sons of Angiras, (son of Brahma) and Shraddha. After receiving initial knowledge from his father, Jupiter left his home in quest for spiritual knowledge and meditated for thousands of years, his penances earned him a place as guru or teacher to the demigods. His work was to guide then and advancing their cause by thwarting the designs of the Asuras.
Once Bhrigu or Venus, the guru of the devils went to the Himalaya to worship Lord Shiva for obtaining means to conquer and destroy the demigods. Meanwhile sensing an opportunity, Indra, the king of demigods sent his daughter Jayanti to Venus to obtain whatever he receives from Lord Shiva by deceit. She stayed with Venus for many years as his disciple until he obtained the boon from Shiva. Then, when he was about to return to the devils, Jayanti requested him to accepted her as wife. He agreed to be her husband but for only ten years and during this period they would be alone.
When Jupiter came to know about this he made a plan and disguised himself as Venus he went to live with the Asuras and during these ten years he succeeded in removing hatred and factionalism from them. When Venus returned home the Asuras got confused seeing two identical gurus and they declared that their real teacher was the one who had been teaching them for the past years.
The real Venus, got angry and left cursing them that they would soon be destroyed. Shortly thereafter Jupiter resumed his real form and returned to heaven. The Asuras, were now left without a guru and guide approached the real Venus and begged his pardon. He relented and again became their guru, but his curse had its effect, and for many ages the Asuras were too weak to threaten the gods.
Basic Astrological facts about Jupiter:
The Jupiter is of masculine gender, karaka or significator of knowledge and fortune, as relationship significator it denotes children, as body part significator it governs the abdomen. As per planetary cabinet it have the status of minister or advisor, its temperament is mild, benign and soft hearted, its element is aakaash or ether element, its primary quality or guna is sattva or serenity, by caste it is brahmin or priest and its nature is benefic.
It is the ruler of zodiacal sign of Sagittarius and Pisces and astrological ninth and twelfth houses, its exaltation sign is Cancer, debilitation sign is Capricorn and determent sign is Gemini. It get directional strength in first house (east) and directional weakness in seventh house (west). As per planetary relationship its friends are Sun, Moon and Mars, it is neutral with Saturn and its enemies are Mercury and Venus. Nakshatras or Lunar mansions governed by Jupiter are Punarvasu, Vishakha and Purva Bhadrapada. Its period as per Vimshottari Dasa is of sixteen years. It rules northeast direction and Thursday among the days of the week. It governs hemant or pre-winter season and in metals gold. Its gemstone is yellow sapphire and substitute gemstones are topaz and citrine and yellow is the color ruled by it. In food and flavors it governs things of sweet taste. It represents the geometrical shape of a ellipse. Positive key words for Jupiter are expansion, opportunity, understanding, optimism, and enthusiasm. Negative key words for Jupiter are extravagance, bigotry, indulgence, fanaticism, and smugness. As per Numerology numbers 3, 12, 21, 30 and all those that adds up to three, are governed by it.
Body parts, function and diseases governed Jupiter:
Jupiter rules growth and expansion and in medical terms Jupiterian expansion means overeating and lack of control. Jupiter also indicate swelling, abnormal expansion or too much of something. This inculdes all types of tumer. Jupiter has dominion over the liver and all diseases related with it including cirrhosis and hepatitis. Jupiter also rules the fats of the body, their process of breaking down through enzyme reaction and their proper utilization. It rules the hip and thigh region, gout and rheumatism, sugar problems. Jupiter rules Vitamins B-6, biotin, cholin, inositol, pangamic acid, chromium, manganese and zinc.
Professions governed by Jupiter:
Any profession or employment that requires or is related to Spirituality, Religion, Wealth, Law, Voyages or Long Journeys. Vocations: Lawyers, Clergymen, Judges, Wholesale Grocers, Aldermen, Appraisers, Bond Salesmen, Cashiers, Capitalists, Financiers, Jockeys, Horse Trainers, Racing Stable Owners and Workers, Sporting Goods Manufacturers and Dealers, Shoe Manufacturers and Dealers, Shoe Workers. law, finances, budgeting. Money lending, helping moneylenders. Functioning as priest or worshipper in temples, Bishop, Nun or Padre in Christianity. Giving discourses on religion, faith and spiritualism. Holy places and places of pilgrimages, including outside temples, mosques, churches. Functioning as representative or member of any judicial or semi-judicial tribunal or any other similar forum. Agents and brokers in the field of law, judiciary, religion.
DISEASES:-
Basic Astrological facts about Jupiter:
The Jupiter is of masculine gender, karaka or significator of knowledge and fortune, as relationship significator it denotes children, as body part significator it governs the abdomen. As per planetary cabinet it have the status of minister or advisor, its temperament is mild, benign and soft hearted, its element is aakaash or ether element, its primary quality or guna is sattva or serenity, by caste it is brahmin or priest and its nature is benefic.
It is the ruler of zodiacal sign of Sagittarius and Pisces and astrological ninth and twelfth houses, its exaltation sign is Cancer, debilitation sign is Capricorn and determent sign is Gemini. It get directional strength in first house (east) and directional weakness in seventh house (west). As per planetary relationship its friends are Sun, Moon and Mars, it is neutral with Saturn and its enemies are Mercury and Venus. Nakshatras or Lunar mansions governed by Jupiter are Punarvasu, Vishakha and Purva Bhadrapada. Its period as per Vimshottari Dasa is of sixteen years. It rules northeast direction and Thursday among the days of the week. It governs hemant or pre-winter season and in metals gold. Its gemstone is yellow sapphire and substitute gemstones are topaz and citrine and yellow is the color ruled by it. In food and flavors it governs things of sweet taste. It represents the geometrical shape of a ellipse. Positive key words for Jupiter are expansion, opportunity, understanding, optimism, and enthusiasm. Negative key words for Jupiter are extravagance, bigotry, indulgence, fanaticism, and smugness. As per Numerology numbers 3, 12, 21, 30 and all those that adds up to three, are governed by it.
Body parts, function and diseases governed Jupiter:
Jupiter rules growth and expansion and in medical terms Jupiterian expansion means overeating and lack of control. Jupiter also indicate swelling, abnormal expansion or too much of something. This inculdes all types of tumer. Jupiter has dominion over the liver and all diseases related with it including cirrhosis and hepatitis. Jupiter also rules the fats of the body, their process of breaking down through enzyme reaction and their proper utilization. It rules the hip and thigh region, gout and rheumatism, sugar problems. Jupiter rules Vitamins B-6, biotin, cholin, inositol, pangamic acid, chromium, manganese and zinc.
Professions governed by Jupiter:
Any profession or employment that requires or is related to Spirituality, Religion, Wealth, Law, Voyages or Long Journeys. Vocations: Lawyers, Clergymen, Judges, Wholesale Grocers, Aldermen, Appraisers, Bond Salesmen, Cashiers, Capitalists, Financiers, Jockeys, Horse Trainers, Racing Stable Owners and Workers, Sporting Goods Manufacturers and Dealers, Shoe Manufacturers and Dealers, Shoe Workers. law, finances, budgeting. Money lending, helping moneylenders. Functioning as priest or worshipper in temples, Bishop, Nun or Padre in Christianity. Giving discourses on religion, faith and spiritualism. Holy places and places of pilgrimages, including outside temples, mosques, churches. Functioning as representative or member of any judicial or semi-judicial tribunal or any other similar forum. Agents and brokers in the field of law, judiciary, religion.
DISEASES:-
Gastric and Gas troubles, fever, morbidness, diseases arising from vitiated phlegm, ailments of ears, fainting, insensibility, diabetes, accidents from aeroplanes.
Jupiter indicates obesity, baldness, oedema, liver problems, diabetes, tumours, lack of concentration etc. Jupiter relates to : Education, Knowledge, Children.
Jupiter is the teacher to the World, A well placed Jupiter gives luck and good fortune to escape from Difficulty or
critical situations. Jupiter looks after Law & Order, relates to Defects in blood and Diabetes.
Plants - Astrology and Mythology
The Mantras for Jupiter:
Remedies for Jupiter which are performed if Jupiter is not well placed in the horoscope:
Jupiter indicates obesity, baldness, oedema, liver problems, diabetes, tumours, lack of concentration etc. Jupiter relates to : Education, Knowledge, Children.
Jupiter is the teacher to the World, A well placed Jupiter gives luck and good fortune to escape from Difficulty or
critical situations. Jupiter looks after Law & Order, relates to Defects in blood and Diabetes.
Plants - Astrology and Mythology
Plants
seen from an astrological perspective. See how zodiac signs and plants (trees,
shrubs, herbs, crawlers, bulbs, vegetables, annuals, fruits and nuts) are
connected.The myths sourrounding the plants and the facts revealed, their
medicinal properties give a flavour to your basic need from mother nature.How
Plants are connected with the Planets ?
Jupiter
- Shrubs like bilberry, calycanthus, fig, jasmine, tea, thornapple, wintergreen.
- Trees like cajeurio, chestnut, date palm tree, fir tree, gospal tree, guava tree, indian tree, jambul, lemon tree,linden tree, maple tree, magnolio tree., Teak tree.
Jupiter is the karaka for finance and children. A person is said to be fortunate to lead a peaceful life only when Jupiter is posited well in his horoscope and is not afflicted. Because everybody is concerned about his family and bank position. It is very important for rise in fortune or financial position of a person that his sun and Jupiter are strong, well placed, well aspected and without any affliction. He is karaka of 2nd, 5th and 9th houses of education. It is a divine planet denoting logic, wisdom and hope. He signifies all types of intelligence, education, logic, intuition, scriptures, knowledge, and control over senses. Interaction of mercury with Jupiter with lagna or 5th house or their lords adds extra shine to education. Treasury, banking, teaching, law and justice, postal department, courts, temples, revenue department, advisory councils, advertisements etc are few professions related to Jupiter.- Trees like cajeurio, chestnut, date palm tree, fir tree, gospal tree, guava tree, indian tree, jambul, lemon tree,linden tree, maple tree, magnolio tree., Teak tree.
The Mantras for Jupiter:
Beej Mantra of Jupiter:
|
Om jhram jhreem jroum sah gurave namah
|
Jupiter stotra:
|
Devanaam cha Hrisheenaam cha gurum kanchan sannibham buddhi
bhutam trilokesham tam namami brihaspatim
|
Gayatri Mantra of Jupiter:
|
Remedies for Jupiter which are performed if Jupiter is not well placed in the horoscope:
1. Worshiping
the ruling deity of the Jupiter, Lord Shiva.
2.
Recitation of Shiv
sahastranam.
3.
Reciting of Jupiter
Mantras.
4.
Charity: Donate yellow
clothes, bananas, saffron and turmeric on Thursdays to priests or brahmin.
5.
Fasting: On Thursdays.
6.
Pooja: Shiva pooja.
7.
Rudraksh: Wear five mukhi
(five faced) Rudraksh.
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