Ten fun facts about Jupiter

Fact 1
It is the largest planet in the Solar System.

Fact 2
Jupiter is considered among the Jovian or outer planets.

Fact 3
It is a gas giant with a mass one-thousandth of that of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in the Solar System combined.

Fact 4
The planet was known by astronomers of ancient times.

Fact 5
Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with other planets Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

Fact 6
There are also at least 67 moons, including the four large moons called the Galilean moons that were first discovered by scientist Galileo Galilei in 1610. Ganymede, the largest of these moons, has a diameter greater than that of the planet Mercury.

Fact 7
It was associated with the mythology and religious beliefs of many cultures around the world.

Fact 8
The Romans named the planet after the Roman god Jupiter.

Fact 9
Jupiter is composed primarily of hydrogen with a quarter of its mass being helium, although helium only comprises about a tenth of the number of molecules.

Fact 10
It may also have a rocky core of heavier elements, but like the other gas giants, Jupiter lacks a well-defined solid surface.