Jupiter

Jupiter is the fifth planet from the sun but is the first planet to orbit outside of the Asteroid Belt. Jupiter is the largest planet in our Solar System. The Earth could fit inside Jupiter more than 1000 times! Since Jupiter is such a large planet, it has more gravity than the Earth. This means that you would weigh about 115 pounds more on Jupiter than on Earth. Jupiter is considered a gas giant because it does not have a solid surface. Under its atmosphere is a large liquid ocean of hydrogen and water. Jupiter's atmosphere, made of the gases hydrogen, helium, and methane, increasingly becomes thicker until it is part of the ocean. Therefore Jupiter's sky becomes its ocean! Unlike most other planets, Jupiter is a very stormy planet with storms that never seem to end. These storms have created Jupiter's giant red spot, also known as the "Eye of Jupiter", and have caused Jupiter to be a very colorful planet. In addition, since Jupiter rotates so quickly, its middle has been stretched out causing the planet to be short and fat instead of round.
 * All About Jupiter**


 * Astrology Mythology:** Jupiter is known as Zeus in Greek mythology. He over threw his father Saturn to become king of the gods and then split the universe with his brothers Neptune and Pluto.

Mass: 317 times more than Earth Volume: 1,318 times more than Earth Distance from the Sun: 777 million kilometers 1 Orbit around the Sun: 4,332.59 days 1 Full Rotation: 9 hours and 55 minutes Average Temperature: -244 degrees F Moons: 50 official moons and 12 unofficial moons
 * Fast Facts:**

Jupiter has a total of 62 moons. Most of these moons are very small, and were probably once asteroids that got too close to Jupiter. Jupiter's powerful gravity sometimes grabs onto objects that wander too close, allowing the planet to grab on to many moons. The four largest and most well-known moons were discovered by Galileo. Their names are Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.
 * Jupiter's Moons**

Jupiter has three rings named Gossamer, Main, and Halo. The rings are difficult to see and can only be viewed when the planet passes in front of the sun.
 * Did you know?**