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Distance from the Sun |
mil km | 778.33
| mil miles | 483.6
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AU |
5.2028
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Orbital Period (length of year) |
Earth days | 4332.71
| Earth years | 11.862
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Local Days per Year rotations per orbit |
10,555
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Length of day in Earth Time |
9h 51m
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Axial Tilt |
3.13�
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Orbital Inclination from Earth's orbit |
1.308�
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Orbital Eccentricity from circular |
0.0483
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Sidereal Rotation in Earth days |
0.41354
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Mean Orbital Velocity km/s |
13.06
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Visual Geometric Albedo |
.52
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Vo or Object's Visible Magnitude at Opposition |
-2.70
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Mean Radius km |
71,492
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Mean Diameter at Equator |
km | 142,980
| miles | 88,732
| x Earth | 11.2
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Mass |
kg | 1.9 e+27
| x Earth | 317.8
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Density (grams per cm3)
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Gravity x Earth |
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Escape Velocity in km per sec
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Jupiter, king of the gods. The fifth planet out from the sun is best known for its many stripes, and giant red spot
- a cyclonic storm, many times the diameter of the Earth.
The average cloud temperature is -121�C
Atmospheric pressure: 700 millibars.
Atmospheric composition: 90% Hydrogen and 10% Helium.
Jupiter has four main moons, the Galileans: Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto - discovered by Galileo in 1610.
These may all be casually viewed by any modern over the counter telescope
- appearing as common companion lights, augmenting Jupiter's superior brightness.
Any respectable astronomical publication will post the expected positionings of the Fantastic Four.
We are not, however, sadly, one of those; so we will not bother you with such things.
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There are gobs of other moons - about 70 at latest count.
Grant you, not all of them are actual moons, per se - more like captured asteroids,
which for whatever reason lack the good sense to plummet aimlessly into the Jovian atmosphere.
Maybe they just like the view, as opposed to the infinite bleakness of space - and it probobly beats falling into The Sun.
For safety's sake, the remaining mini-monsters are Jovially are referred to as satellites.
One reason why Jupiter seems to have collected so many strays
is its proximity and tendancy to pass through giant asteroid fields
- the gravity of a Gas Giant can be very persuasive.
For the most part, The Trojans keep pace with Jupiter,
leading and following its path around the sun
- because if they don't, blammo.
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