Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

Explore the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ
This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Find out more about page archiving.

29 October 2014
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ NorfolkΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Norfolk

Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔpage
England
Β» Norfolk
KidsΜύ

Contact Us


Graphic: You are in Norfolk > KidsGo to Norfolk homepageGo to kids index

Last updated: 08 May 2006 1139 BST
Pic: Mark Lawrik-Thompson
Graphic: Explore Jupiter with our astronomy expert
Norfolk astronomer and Chairman of the Norwich Astronomical Society Mark Thompson writes about Jupiter.
Picture: Jupiter
Jupiter has as many as 30 moons

Jupiter is the biggest planet in the solar system.

Find out more with our kids' guide to astronomy by local astronomer Mark Thompson.


There are nine planets including the Earth, that move around the Sun, but Jupiter is the biggest planet in the Solar System. It is so big that you could fit 14 Earths inside it!

If you have been outside over the last few weeks you may already have seen it without even noticing.

How to find Jupiter

Picture: Jupiter
Jupiter is made up of gasses - see the Great Red Spot

Jupiter is the really bright star that is shining in the western part of the sky.

To find Jupiter you need to know where the sun sets (don't look at the Sun, its very dangerous, just be aware of where it went down in the sky).

Then with a responsible adult, go outside and look in the opposite direction and look up in the sky.

If you are looking in the evening, then look about halfway between the horizon and the point over your head. You will see a really bright white star like object, this is not really a star, but is Jupiter.

A planet made of gas

Just like Saturn, Jupiter is made up of gas so there is no solid surface to stand on. If you landed on Jupiter, you would sink right into it.

The planet is made up of a number of different gasses. When we look at Jupiter, we can see lots of different colours, which are caused by these different gasses.

We can also see a huge tornado whirling around the giant planet. This tornado is so big that you can fit three Earths inside it and is called the Great Red Spot.

Picture: Jupiter's moons
Some of Jupiter's moons

How many moons?

If you were to look at Jupiter through a telescope you would see all these things but would also see some of its Moons. We only have one moon which we call the Moon!

Jupiter has at least 30 moons but we are always finding more. An astronomer called Galileo found the first four of them and we can easily see them in small telescopes.

In order of distance from Jupiter, they are: Io, Europa, Ganymedei and Callisto. If you watch them over a few hours you will even be able to see whch direction they are moving in.

The moon Europa is very interesting to astronomers and other scientists because we think that underneath the icy surface there is a really deep ocean of liquid water.

We are fairly certain about that but we don't know quite what the conditions are like there. A future space mission is planned to go to this moon of Jupiter and take a look.

If conditions are right, then we hope that we might find some form of really simple life; perhaps like the bacteria we find on Earth.

Got a question on Jupiter? Ask Mark! Β»


jump to homepage.
send an e-mail to the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ website for Norfolk.
Print friendly version of this page
jump to top of page.
See also
Μύ

On this site

Astronomy index

Ask the astronomer

International Space Station

Make a rocket

Make a sundial

New Planet

Planet Jupiter

Planet Mars

The Moon

Planets Pluto, Neptune and Uranus

Planet Saturn

Planet Venus

The Star of Bethlehem

The Sun

Your questions answered

Venus passes in front of the Sun

On bbc.co.uk





On the rest of the web












The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ is not responsible for the content of external websites

Graphic: More Norfolk kids

Picture: Lydia: link.

Book review: The Inventors

Jake pops back home

Gardening with grandpa Gipp

Graphic: Not to be missed

Norfolk has loads of cool stuff for kids to do. Check out what's on offer and enjoy these features.
Graphic: Stuff to do and make

Looking for stuff to do at home or with your mates? Try these makes and science experiments.
Graphic: Live webchat with Chris Rankin: link

Weasley webchat: What did you ask actor Chris Rankin?
Graphic: A-Z of Norfolk Science: link

Amazing scientific facts and features where you live
CΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Newsround
Latest from CΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Newsround.





About the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ | Help | Terms of Use | Privacy & Cookies Policy
Μύ