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The Great Red Spot
The most famous feature of Jupiter is the Great Red Spot. This violent storm has been watched from Earth since the 1600's.The Great Red Spot is thought to be a hurricane which has been raging on Jupiter for at least 400 years. -
When was Jupiter discovered?
No one knows for sure who discovered Jupiter, but we know the ancient Greeks named him after the god, Zeus. -
Galileo Galilei
On January 7, 1610, using his primitive telescope, astronomer Galileo Galilei saw four small "stars" near Jupiter. He had discovered Jupiter's four largest moons, now called Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. Collectively, these four moons are known today as the Galilean satellites. -
What is Jupiter made of?
It wasn't until the 1930's that we knew what Jupiter was made of. Astronomer Rupert Wildt researched the planet and found the atmosphere is mostly hydrogen and helium. -
Which spacecrafts sailed past jupiter?
Beginning in 1973, the United States sent four spacecraft to observe this giant planet. Pioneer 10 and 11, along with Voyager I and II, sailed past Jupiter. They gathered many images that we still see today. -
Jupiter
Jupiter in 2012 is still the largest planet ever discovered
