What makes this world interesting
The Great Red Spot is a storm. The visible bands are clouds: there is no solid ground to land on as there is on Earth. Jupiter also has faint rings.
The portal / Solar System / Jupiter
Planet
Jupiter
Gas giant · A planet resembling a small system
The largest planet, dominated by hydrogen and helium, with an atmosphere of bands and swirling storms.
- Equatorial diameter
- 142 984 km
- Mean orbital distance
- 778,5 million km
- Orbital period around the Sun
- ≈ 11,9 ans
Observe or explore it
A small telescope lets you follow the four Galilean moons and the main bands. Draw their positions on several consecutive evenings.
Connect the discoveries
Sources and reference information
NASA Science — Jupiter · NASA/NSSDCA — planetary data
Rounded educational data, sources consulted on 18 October 2026. Orbital distances are mean reference distances from the Sun, not current distances from Earth. Periods are expressed in Earth time. The planner provides date-specific positions for supported targets.
Understand its motion. Explore a simplified orbit in the laboratory →