9781422283714

∆ Jupiter from a Voyager probe.   Jupiter has twice   as much mass as all the   other planets put together. King of the Planets

Ancient peoples believed Jupiter was a very important body because it always shines brightly when it appears in the dark night sky. The ancient Greeks called the planet Zeus after the most powerful god in their mythology. Zeus was king among the gods, the ruler of the heavens. We call the planet Jupiter after the Roman name for this same god. Jove is another word for Jupiter, and astronomers often use the term Jovian to describe things relating to Jupiter, such as Jovian moons. One, it is very big. With a diameter of some 83,000 miles (142,200 km), it is 11 times the size of the Earth. Two, Jupiter has a thick, cloudy atmosphere that reflects Jupiter shines so brightly in the night sky for two reasons.

∆ The symbol for Jupiter represents the god’s lightning bolt.

∆ Jupiter is the fifth

planet from the Sun, beyond the asteroid belt.

sunlight well. Like all the planets, it gives out no light of its own.

∆ A relief carving of the Roman god Jupiter in the Chapel of Planets, Rimini, Italy.

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