ABC Wednesday

J is for JUPITER



JUPITER - King of the Roman Gods; the God of Sky and Thunder and the God who ruled over Law and Order.

Oh where is he now when we so badly need him.

And then there is JUPITER, the largest planet in our skies. Two and one half times as large as all the rest of the planets put together, and three times the diameter of Earth.

Jupiter is a Gaseous body, as are Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Together they are referred to as the Jovian Planets.

The gas on Jupiter is mainly hydrogen, with about one quarter helium and a rocky core.

There is a Great Red Spot on Jupiter, - a giant storm which has been raging since at least the 17th century when it was first discovered.

Just recently, in July of this year, Jupiter was hit by another body, causing a large dark spot on the surface of the planet estimated to be the length of Europe and Asia.

Sixty three moons circle Jupiter. The four largest are called the Galilean Moons, after Galileo, who discovered them.



Here is Jupiter, with these Galilean Moons, as photographed by Cameron Ladmore.

Darkness comes early in the evening, as we pass the Equinox. To the south, midway in the sky above K Mountain, Jupiter shines like a giant headlight, easily the brightest object in the sky and it will remain so until the end of the year.

Wikipedia has tons of information about both these mighty Jupiters...

See what else J stands for by going here to ABC Wednesday.