From Earth to the Solar System: Jupiter

A mini-solar system: Jupiter, the most massive planet in our solar system—with over 50 known moons and an enormous magnetic field—forms a kind of miniature solar system. Jupiter resembles a star in composition, but it never grew big enough to ignite. Several of its moons are of interest to astrobiologists searching for life elsewhere in the solar system. This image of Jupiter has been color-coded to show cloud height from high altitude (white) through mid-range (blue) to low altitude (red). NASA’s Juno mission, launching in August, 2011 and arriving at Jupiter in July, 2016, will map the gravity field, magnetic field, and atmospheric structure of Jupiter, and provide key insights to enhance current theories about the early formation of our Solar System. Image Credit: Travis Rector (U. Alaska, Anchorage), Chad Trujillo and the Gemini Altair Team, NOAO/AURA/NSF

Related posts:

Fifty things we’ve learned about the Earth since the first Earth Day Carrying the Torch into a new year ICYMI: Highlights from the week that was July 15 – July 21, 2018 Remembrance and Reflection: September 11, 2001