Jupiter Is Jumbo

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

As you learn about Jupiter, write down at least three facts from this section that you didn't know before this lesson on a separate piece of paper!

You will use those facts in the Go! section.

• Did you know Jupiter is so big that if you put all the other planets from the solar system together, it would still be two and a half times bigger?

Below is a comparison of the giant next to the earth and our moon.

Being the biggest planet in the solar system is a distinction given to Jupiter, but it is also one of four planets that are made of gas.

Its nickname is the gas giant.

As the fifth planet from the sun, Jupiter is the fourth brightest object in the solar system as seen from Earth.

It also has the shortest day of all planets. It rotates (spins on its axis like a top) so fast that it only takes a little less than ten hours to make a day! Nighttime is hardly long enough for a good nap!

Jupiter spins extremely fast but takes a long time to revolve (travel one time around the sun). A year is equal to the amount of time it takes a planet to travel around the sun.

One year on Jupiter equals 11.8 Earth years! You would not even be a year old if you lived on Jupiter!

Jupiter also has an atmosphere around it that is not good for humans. It is made primarily of hydrogen, and humans cannot breathe that gas.

The average temperature on Jupiter is –234 degrees Fahrenheit! YIKES! That is NOT a temperature that would sustain life — it is over 150 degrees colder than the North or South Pole on Earth!

Another interesting fact about Jupiter is that there is a storm called the Great Red Spot that has been raging for more than 350 years! This storm is larger than three-Earths-wide.

Jupiter also has rings around it, just like Saturn. Its rings are made of dust particles and are thousands of miles thick, even though they appear very thin.

On Earth, one moon orbits our planet. On Jupiter, 67 confirmed moons orbit it!

That is a lot to know about Jupiter.

• What did you find to be the most interesting facts about Jupiter?
• Did you make a list?

The planets in our solar system are important to understand because we need to know what else is in our solar system and if there is a possibility of life on other planets.

We could also find uses for things found on other planets that could improve life on Earth.

To learn more about Jupiter, check out the video below.

In the Got It? section, you will be the teacher and create a teaching tool about Jupiter for your students!