Jupiter
A giant mass of predominantly hydrogen and helium, Jupiter dwarfs the other planets in our Solar System with a mass is 2.5 times larger than that of all of the other planets combined. NASA’s spacecraft Juno is on a mission at Jupiter to deepen our understanding of how such giant planets were formed. Recently 12 new moons have been spotted orbiting Jupiter bringing the total number of Jovian moons to 79, the first four of these moons were observed in 1610 by Galileo Galilei and have captivated our interest ever since.
How old is Jupiter's Great Red Spot, really?
How old is Jupiter's Great Red Spot? Recent research suggests it may not be as old as you thought.
Why does Jupiter spin so fast?
It's our Solar System's largest planet, and also the dizziest.
Jupiter in opposition 2023: How to see the gas giant at its biggest and brightest tonight
Astronomer Pete Lawrence shares expert tips and advice on how to spot Jupiter in opposition this November.
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James Webb Telescope releases spectacular images of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot and ghostly glowing auroras
Infrared images show details of the giant planet’s surface in unprecedented detail.
JUICE: What secrets lie beneath the icy surface of Jupiter’s moons?
The European Space Agency’s JUICE mission aims to peer beneath the surfaces of Jupiter’s moons to determine whether something could be living in the waters below.
Mystery of Jupiter’s polar cyclones solved using ocean physics
NASA’s Juno spacecraft has sent back the first evidence that the massive polar storms are driven by a similar process to those governing oceans on Earth.
NASA’s Juno spacecraft probes the depths of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot
The iconic storm stretches down to between 350 and 500km below the giant planet’s swirling clouds.
Earth-like life could exist in the clouds of Jupiter, but Venus’s atmosphere is too toxic
Clouds on the gas giant may contain high enough concentrations of water to support life, study suggests.
Powerful winds detected raging in Jupiter’s stratosphere
Astronomers track debris stirred up by a comet that crashed into the planet in 1994 to make to the first measurement of winds in the mid-atmosphere.
How planetary collisions work
Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9’s impact on Jupiter was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope.
Ganymede, Jupiter’s largest moon, shows signs of past tectonic activity
Galileo spacecraft data suggests fault lines that shear against one another horizontally, like the San Andreas fault found in California.
35 breathtaking pictures of Jupiter taken from the Juno spacecraft
As NASA's Juno space probe continues to orbit the Solar System's largest planet, we look back at some of its best images of this Jovian wonder.
How large was the telescope that first detected an exoplanet?
It takes a ‘Very Large Telescope’ indeed to spot distant planets from another solar system.
What is the environmental impact of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch?
From damaging the environment to contaminating the solar system, Space X's successful launch of the Falcon Heavy rocket also poses risks.
Could Jupiter become a star?
It may be the biggest planet in our Solar System but it would still need more mass to turn into a second Sun.
Voyager 1: a brief history of the interstellar spacecraft
Launched into space in 1977 to study the outer planets, Voyager 1 has become the first man-made object to leave the Solar System. To celebrate its incredible achievement, we look back at the highlights of its epic journey.
Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2017
Check out this stunning collection of astrophotography from the IAPY2017 shortlist from the Royal Observatory Greenwich.
So long Juno, and thanks for all the pics
This July, Juno ends its two-year mission to study and photograph Jupiter. We look back over some of the incredible images that have transformed our understanding of the Solar System’s biggest planet.
First Juno results already challenge our understanding of Jupiter
Measurements suggest Jupiter's core may be fluffy rather than dense and that its magnetic field is much stronger than previously thought.
Why is Jupiter stripy?
Jupiter's stripes, otherwise known as bands, create an interesting pattern on the planet's surface.
Does Jupiter really protect us from cosmic impacts?
There has been little proof to the long-held claim that Jupiter's powerful gravity helps deflect incoming debris, but do simulations show Jupiter playing protective big brother to Earth?
Did a ‘wrecking ball’ Jupiter smash up our early Solar System?
Jupiter may have careened through the early Solar System like a wrecking ball, smashing up the inner planets and creating a very odd planetary formation, say scientists in California.
What is at the centre of a gas giant planet like Jupiter?
Things start to get weird in the extreme pressure of Jupiter’s core.
Is Jupiter getting bigger?
With constant collisions from asteroids, comets and other space junk, you would think so…