Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system… It has the second largest number of moons after Saturn.
Jupiter’s mighty gravity… Catching meteorites and asteroids wandering around the solar system reduces the threat to Earth
The last remaining blue ocean universe. The United States, Russia, China, and India have opened their eyes to the value of space early on and are pioneering that space. Korea is now also jumping into space development in earnest. We try to tell the story of the unknown universe and its vast and vast world in a fun way so that anyone, from children to adults, can easily understand.
Jupiter. photo credit = screw
Jupiter, the fifth planet of the solar system. Located between 600 million and 900 million kilometers from Earth (the distance varies depending on the orbital positions of Earth and Jupiter), this planet is 11 times the diameter of Earth and 318 times the mass of Earth.
Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, orbits the sun in 12 years and rotates in 9 hours and 55 minutes. Of the planets in the solar system, Jupiter has the second most moons after Saturn. A total of 95 moons of Jupiter have been discovered so far. That’s 95 moons on Jupiter.
Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars are rocky planets, while Jupiter is a gas planet. Jupiter’s atmosphere is 89.9% hydrogen and 10.2% helium, with the remainder being methane and ammonia.
Exploration of Jupiter is as diverse as the Sun and Mars.
In 1973, Pioneer 10, which was sent by NASA, conducted a direct survey of this place for the first time as it passed Jupiter’s orbit, and in 1974, Pioneer 11 also explored Jupiter. In 1979, NASA’s Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft flew past Jupiter and explored the planet’s moons.
In 1992, NASA’s Ulysses spacecraft approached the end of Jupiter’s atmosphere to investigate the solar wind and magnetic field, and in 1995, NASA’s Galileo spacecraft approached Jupiter and observed atmospheric structure, temperature distribution, and clouds.
In 2000, NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Italian Space Agency (ASI) collaborated to send the Cassini-Huygens probe, and in 2007, NASA’s New Horizons probe approached Jupiter’s orbit. Also in 2016, NASA’s Juno probe examined the atmosphere and magnetic field near Jupiter.
In April of this year, ESA sent the Jupiter probe Juice, which will arrive at Jupiter in 2031, eight years later, to explore three moons: ice-covered Europa, Ganymede, and Carlitos. Also next year, NASA’s Europa-Clipper probe will be launched to unlock the secrets of Jupiter.
NASA’s Juno spacecraft is approaching Jupiter. photo credit = screw
?Jupiter is a very important planet to Earth. Jupiter can be seen as a planet that protects the Earth, but if Jupiter had not been there, life on Earth would not have flourished as it is now, or the planet Earth itself might have disappeared.
The reason is because of Jupiter’s strong gravity, which is 2.5 times stronger than Earth’s. As a result, many meteorites wandering through the solar system are caught in Jupiter’s gravity and come closer to Earth.
Between the Sun and Jupiter are the Lagrange L4 and L5 points where gravity balances them. There is a huge collection of asteroids here, which is called the ‘Trojan Asteroid Cluster’.
If there was no Jupiter, many of those asteroids would have come to Earth. Comets and asteroids approaching from the outskirts of the solar system are also caught by Jupiter’s gravity and do not come to Earth, so Jupiter acts as a shield and protects the Earth.
Jupiter’s powerful magnetic field also protects the Earth. This magnetic field blocks the solar wind, significantly reducing the amount of solar radiation reaching Earth. In addition to this, Jupiter’s magnetic field protects the Earth’s atmosphere and helps Earth’s creatures to maintain life.
Scientists now have their eyes on Jupiter’s moons. Among the 95 moons, there is one that has the potential to support life, and that is Europa.
Underneath this icy satellite, there is a huge ocean and the scientific community speculates that life may exist. That’s why NASA’s Europa-Clipper probe, due to launch next year, is expected to unlock those secrets.
