Jupiter facts for kids

Meet Jupiter

Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the biggest planet in our Solar System. Jupiter is about 11 times as wide as Earth. Jupiter has more than twice the mass of all the other planets combined.

A giant ball of gas

Jupiter is a gas giant, made mostly of hydrogen and helium. There is no solid ground to land on. Its stripes are bands of cloud blown along by fierce winds.

The Great Red Spot

The Great Red Spot is a storm that has been swirling for well over 150 years. It is bigger than Earth.

Moons and rings

Jupiter has more than 100 known moons. In 1610 Galileo Galilei spotted its four biggest moons. Those four are still called the Galilean moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.

Ganymede, which circles Jupiter, is the biggest moon in the Solar System. It is even bigger than the planet Mercury.

All four giant planets have rings, but Saturn's are by far the brightest.

A fast spinner

Jupiter spins round once in about 10 hours, faster than any other planet. A year on Jupiter lasts about 12 Earth years.

Jupiter in a nutshell

• Place from the Sun: fifth
• Kind of planet: a gas giant
• Size: the biggest planet, about 11 times as wide as Earth
• A day: about 10 hours
• A year: about 12 Earth years
• Moons: more than 100 known
• Biggest moon: Ganymede

Quick quiz: Jupiter

Try these, then tap Show answer under each one.