21 FAQs about Jupiter (The Astronomy Cafe)

Basic Facts: Stanly Wongs Astronomy Page , NASA Galileo Mission

Pictures: Galileo Archive , NASA Voyager Mission , NSSDC Photo Archive

More pictures: Hubble Space Telescope

 Back to the Astronomy Cafe - 365 of the most popular questions since 1996. Over 1 million page requests!

Beginner:

  1. Since Jupiter produces its own energy, why can't we think of it as a star?
  2. How big is Jupiter?
  3. Is the center of Jupiter really an Earth-sized diamond as claimed by Arthur C. Clarke?
  4. Does Io have a magnetic field?
  5. Could there be life on Titan or Europa?
  6. Could Europa support life?
  7. Is there a 13 month cycle of Earth being bombarded by cosmic rays from Jupiter?
  8. Where does Jupiter's internal energy come from?
  9. How did the moons of Jupiter get there?
  10. What would really happen if Jupiter became a star?
  11. Is Jupiter close to being a brown dwarf star?
  12. Do the giant planets like Jupiter have solid surfaces?
  13. What does the Sun look like from Jupiter?
  14. What happened to the Galileo probe that entered Jupiter's atmosphere?
  15. When I see pictures of Jupiter it shows a crescent. What is causing the shadow?
  16. Why does Europa have lots of water and not Mars?
  17. What is the Great Red Spot on Jupiter?
  18. Is Jupiter emitting more mass than it receives?
  19. If an ocean has been discovered on Europa, why isn't NASA sending a probe to investigate it?
  20. Why do the winds blow in opposite directions in the bands of Jupiter?
  21. What is the evidence for life existing on Europa?

Return to Ask the Astronomer