23 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


  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 Jupiter really have a ring around it?
  5. Does Io have a magnetic field?
  6. Does Jupiter's atmosphere really have a bluish color the way artists often show it?
  7. Where is there a website for information on the Galileo probe results?
  8. Could there be life on Titan or Europa?
  9. Could Europa support life?
  10. Is there a 13 month cycle of Earth being bombarded by cosmic rays from Jupiter?
  11. Where does Jupiter's internal energy come from?
  12. What is the bright planet near the Moon on July 29th, 1996?
  13. Which planet is the hottest: Jupiter or Mars?
  14. How did the moons of Jupiter get there?
  15. What would really happen if Jupiter became a star?
  16. Is Jupiter close to being a brown dwarf star?
  17. Do the giant planets have similar internal structure?
  18. Do the giant planets like Jupiter have solid surfaces?
  19. Who discovered Jupiter?
  20. What does the Sun look like from Jupiter?
  21. What do you think about all the hoopla about Europa?
  22. What happened to the Galileo probe that entered Jupiter's atmosphere?
  23. When I see pictures of Jupiter it shows a crescent. What is causing the shadow?
  24. Was there or will there be a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn on September 2 or December 5?


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