How many moons does Jupiter have, the largest planet in the solar system?

How many moons does Jupiter have, the largest planet in the solar system? Jupiter is considered the fifth planet from the sun, as it is a giant gaseous planet, one of the largest planets in the solar system, Jupiter has many moons that revolve around it, and therefore it has become a focus of attention for many people who love astronomy, and from this standpoint and through our following lines via the reference site A bunch of information about Jupiter will be shown, as well as the number of Jupiter’s moons and the largest.

Jupiter

It is one of the giant gaseous planets that exist in the solar system, as it was named by this name because it has a clear luster. Therefore, it is considered one of the brightest objects in the night sky, in addition to the speed of its movement around its axis, as it revolves around itself every 10 hours, which is approximately twice the Earth’s rotation, and it takes 12 Earth years to revolve around the sun, and it ranks fifth in its distance from the sun, and is greater than All the planets of the solar system combined, with a diameter of 143,000 km, and it consists of gases, on top of which is helium.[1]

How many moons does Jupiter have?

Jupiter is considered one of the largest planets in the solar system, and it has a gravitational force that helps it capture countless satellites, which made astronomers continue to discover new moons around it constantly, as Jupiter has 79 moonsHowever, NASA proved that Jupiter has 53 specific moons, while the rest of the moons did not prove their existence. Therefore, it was not given a name, and thus it represents a comprehensive and integrated planetary system, just as it is one of the most famous moons of Jupiter, and among the first moons that were discovered outside Earth are the Galilean moons.[2]

Jupiter’s moons

Jupiter is considered one of the largest planets that has many moons around it. The moons of Jupiter have been divided into two groups, which are as follows:

regular satellites

It includes eight moons and is divided into two parts, as each section has a role in preserving Jupiter. It is the largest astronomical body in the solar system, which was launched to show that the Earth is not the center of the universe, and it is the Galileo moons, which are one of the largest moons of Jupiter that were discovered in the year 1610. They include four moons, the moon Europe, the moon Callisto, the moon Ganymede, and the moon Io.[3][4]

See also: Why is the planet Jupiter named by this name?

Irregular gambling

It is a group of moons that are located around Jupiter, as it is characterized by its small size, as it was formed from the wreckage of objects that governed the influence of Jupiter’s gravity, and these moons were divided into groups similar in composition and orbital elements, and each of them bears the name of its largest moon, which is as follows :[5]

Himalaya group The Himalayas are the largest of the group’s moons, and after the collision led to the formation of three moons that rotate in the same direction as Jupiter’s rotation. Ananak group It is the group that rotates opposite the direction of Jupiter’s rotation, was captured by Jupiter’s gravity and shattered to form 15 moons. MBasifi group It was named after the moon with my sword, and after it was subjected to a collision, it caused the presence of many red and gray moons. Karm group It is the group that revolves around Jupiter in the opposite direction of the planets’ rotation, and this group shares its red color.

Jupiter’s largest moon

NASA has indicated that the Ganymede satellite is the largest satellite of Jupiter’s satellites that have been discovered so far, as it is the seventh moon that exists outside Jupiter, which consists of equal amounts of silicate rocks, water and iron. This moon is distinguished as the only moon that has A magnetic cover, as for naming it by this name, it was after abandoning the numerical designation, and it was called Ganymede, which is the name of the Trojan prince in Greek mythology, and Ganymede is known to revolve around Jupiter about 665,000 miles.[6]

Does Jupiter revolve around the sun?

Yes, as it revolves around the sun once every 12 Earth years, so that it rotates at an average speed of 29.236 miles per hour or 47.051 kilometers per hour in its orbit around the sun, and this rotation is almost straight, as the equator of this planet is inclined by three degrees Only about the sun, as Jupiter revolves around itself very quickly, up to once every 10 hours, and therefore the day on Jupiter is the shortest day in the planets of the entire solar system.[7]

See also: Arrangement of the planets according to their distance from the sun