What is the largest planet in our solar system?
VerifiedAnswer: Jupiter
Explanation:
Jupiter is undoubtedly the largest planet in our solar system, and when we say large, we mean truly massive! This giant planet is so enormous that it could fit all the other planets in our solar system inside it with room to spare. Jupiter's diameter spans approximately 142,984 kilometers, which is more than 11 times wider than Earth.
To put Jupiter's incredible size into perspective, imagine if Earth were the size of a grape – Jupiter would be about the size of a basketball! The planet's mass is equally impressive, weighing in at about 318 times more than Earth. This massive size gives Jupiter tremendous gravitational pull, which plays a crucial role in protecting the inner planets, including Earth, by acting like a cosmic vacuum cleaner that attracts potentially dangerous asteroids and comets.
Jupiter belongs to a special category called gas giants, which means it's primarily composed of hydrogen and helium gases rather than solid rock like Earth. The planet's atmosphere is incredibly thick and features the famous Great Red Spot – a storm that has been raging for hundreds of years and is larger than Earth itself! This massive storm is just one of many fascinating features that make Jupiter unique among the planets in our solar system.
Located fifth from the Sun, Jupiter sits in the outer region of our solar system and takes about 12 Earth years to complete one orbit around the Sun. Despite its enormous size, Jupiter spins incredibly fast on its axis – a day on Jupiter lasts only about 10 hours! This rapid rotation creates the distinctive bands and swirling patterns we can observe in Jupiter's atmosphere. The planet also boasts an impressive collection of moons, with over 80 known satellites, including the four largest ones discovered by Galileo: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.
