How long does it take to reach Jupiter? Journey time and facts about the largest planet in the solar system

KOMPAS.com – The planet Jupiter is the fifth planet from the sun, and is the largest planet in the solar system.

Bands of clouds rippled around Jupiter’s thick atmosphere, shaping the planet into a planet so large that more than 1,300 Earths could fit inside.

Even though this outer planet is hundreds of millions of kilometers from Earth at its closest distance, Jupiter can still be seen as a brightly colored dot in the night sky.

Journey to Jupiter

To determine how long it will take to get to Jupiter, we must first know the distance between Earth and the gas giant planet.

Also read: How Long Does It Take to Travel from the Earth to the Sun?

When Earth and Jupiter are at their closest point to each other, they are 588 million km apart. At the farthest point in its orbit, Jupiter is 968 million km from Earth. Meanwhile, the average distance between Earth and Jupiter is 714 million km.

Light travels at a speed of about 299,792 km per second. Thus, the light shining from Jupiter will take the following time to reach Earth (or vice versa):

Shortest distance: 33 minutes Longest distance: 54 minutes Average distance: 40 minutes

Then, the journey time to reach Jupiter by spacecraft depends on a number of factors, ranging from the position of Earth and Jupiter to the technology used.

Also read: How Long Does It Take From Earth to Pluto?

Reporting from Space, currently, the spacecraft that takes the shortest time to reach Jupiter is NASA’s New Horizons, which flew to Jupiter in 405 days or 1 year, 1 month and 9 days to fly across in 2007.

Additionally, here is a list of how long it took previous missions to reach Jupiter:

Pioneer 10: 642 days, or 1 year 9 months 2 days Pioneer 11: 606 days, or 1 year 7 months 27 days Voyager 1: 546 days, or 1 year 6 months Voyager 2: 688 days, or 1 year, 10 months and New Horizon’s 19 days: 405 days or 1 year, 1 month, and 9 days

Facts-facts Planet Jupiter

Reporting from Sciencing, here are some facts about Jupiter that are important to know:

Also read: How Long Does It Take to Travel from Earth to Mercury?

1. Has a very large size

Gas giant Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system with a size more than 300 times the size of Earth.

Due to its enormous size and reflective clouds, Jupiter is the third brightest object in the night sky, after the moon and Venus.

2. Does not have a solid and rocky surface

Like other gas planets, Jupiter does not have a solid, rocky surface. Instead, the planet is composed of layers of gas that grow denser and denser with greater depth.

Chemically, Jupiter is 90 percent hydrogen and 10 percent helium, with small amounts of ammonia and other substances that give the planet its bright color.

Also read: Jupiter, the Oldest Planet in the Solar System

3. Have a ring

Besides the planet Saturn, Jupiter is also surrounded by a flat ring of debris. Jupiter’s ring system is smaller and closer to the planet than Saturn’s and contains mostly small grains of rock and dust.

Jupiter’s rings don’t contain ice, so they don’t appear as bright and reflective as Saturn’s rings.

4. Has Big Red Spots

Jupiter’s entire surface is covered by clouds, many of which are composed of ammonia gas. These clouds are stretched into stripes by strong winds in the planet’s atmosphere.

The Great Red Spot, a well-known red spot in Jupiter’s southern hemisphere, is a giant, high-pressure storm that has been forming for more than 300 years.

Also read: Why Does the Planet Jupiter Have Tens of Moons?

5. Has more than 60 satellites

More than 60 known satellites or moons orbit the Planet Jupiter. Some of Jupiter’s moons are very small and have chaotic orbits.

Meanwhile, there are also other large and stable satellites, such as the four moons discovered by Galileo, namely Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.

Get selected news updates and breaking news every day from Kompas.com. Let’s join the Telegram group “Kompas.com News Update”, how to click the link https://t.me/kompascomupdate, then join. You must first install the Telegram application on your cellphone.

2023-08-13 04:30:00
#Long #Earth #Jupiter #Kompas.com