Everyone can distinguish the Sun and the Moon when they look up into the sky. Then at night, all the other small dots are the countless stars that decorate our night sky in beautiful constellations. Except that 5 of those stars are actually planets. We have already mentioned Mercury, Venus, and Mars. The other 2 we can see with our naked eyes are Saturn and Jupiter. In this article we’ll talk about the latter. Jupiter is the biggest planet in our solar system, so let’s have a closer look at this giant.
It is safe to call Jupiter a giant. In fact, it is often referred to as the gas giant. That is because besides a tiny solid core, Jupiter exists mainly out of gases. The size of Jupiter is quite incredible. If you put all the planets in our solar system together, you’d only fill half of Jupiter with the combined mass. It has a diameter of 142.984 kilometers! Compared to the 12.742 of our own planet, you might get an idea of the sheer size of Jupiter. In fact, there is a storm on Jupiter that has been raging for at least 350 years now, and that storm alone is three times the size of Earth.
Jupiter is an odd-ball
If you want to feel young, you should definitely go to Jupiter. A year there takes 11.8 times as long as ours. And the days just fly by; a Monday will last only 9 hours and 55 minutes. This is the shortest day of all planets in our solar system. Another good reason to visit this giant would be if you like moons. Jupiter has 67 of them. Its biggest moon, Ganymede, is bigger than Mercury. If you actually do visit, make sure to bring an oxygen mask. The atmosphere of Jupiter consists almost entirely of hydrogen, making it impossible for us to breath there. Despite the thick atmosphere, it gets really cold. On average it’s about -145 degrees Celsius. This has to do with the distance from the Sun. The sunbeams have to travel 778 million kilometers to reach Jupiter.
Jupiter is named after the supreme Roman god. He is the god of light and sky and was considered the most important god of them all in Roman times. His temple was in the heart of the city and his celebrations were the most abundant of them all.
Jupiter in astrology
Jupiter is considered the planet of luck. Jupiter wants us to grow in a positive way, helping us making the right decisions creating wealth and applauding intelligence. Because of all the positive things connected to Jupiter though, it can lead to sloth and laziness. An attitude of ‘it’s going to be okay’ lurks around the corner.
It takes Jupiter about an entire year to move through a constellation, so when it’s in your constellation, you’re bound to have a good year. If you’re a Scorpio, congratulations; until November 8th 2018, Jupiter is present in your star sign. Make the best of it!