| Jupiter contains two-thirds of the planetary mass of our entire
solar system. It's immense gravitational force plays a major
role in the cosmic make-up of our system of planets.
In July 1994 we enjoyed a first-hand glimpse at Jupiter's
mighty influence when a series of pieces from the disintegrated
Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 were drawn into Jupiter's mass.
Jupiter is one of the planets visible to the naked eye. It's
path through the sky has been charted by stargazers for thousands
of years.
Jupiter's most notable feature, the "red spot"
is believed to be a giant gas storm which has been raging
at least since the time of Galileo, who studied the planet,
and in 1610 discovered its four largest moons.
Although the composition of the gas giant is similar to that
of a small sun, Jupiter's mass is still only a fraction of
that needed for ignition. |
