Jupiter

Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest in the solar system. Jupiter and the other gas giants—Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune—are sometimes referred to as Jovian planets. It also accounts 70 percent of the total mass of all planets combined. Its atmosphere is denser than Earth, which is eight times thicker than Earth. Closer towards its core, there is a layer of liquid hydrogen, as well as, crystallization transforms this layer into oxygen. It's surface temperature of Jupiter is -145 degrees Celsius. However, this gas giant planet could not become a red dwarf star. Despite its size, it does not have the critical mass required for the process of nuclear energy creation. According to impression Jupiter's mass is, extrasolar planets have been discovered with much greater masses. Currently, if an object is above 12 Jupiter masses, large enough to burn deuterium, it is considered a brown dwarf; below that mass, it is a planet.

Great Red Spot phenomena
The best known feature of Jupiter is the Great Red Spot, a persistent anticyclonic storm located 22° south of the equator. The Great Red Spot is first discovered and existed since 1665. It produces wind-speeds up to 432 km/h (268 mph). The recorded observations from 1665 to 1713 are believed to be of the same storm; if this is correct, it has existed for at least 356 years. It was next observed in September 1831, with 60 recorded observations between then and 1878 when continuous observations began. Its diameter is three times larger than Earth and it is largest, longest-lived storm in the Solar System. Based on the recorded and captured discoveries, it could change the size of the storm. It's spectroscopic appearance is due to composition of phosphorus, created when turbulent gases in the upper atmospheric layer react to the sunlight.

Orbit and rotation
Jupiter orbits the Sun in approximately 11.86 Earth years, equivalent to 1 Jovian year. The average (mean) distance from the Sun is 778 million kilometres. The rotational velocity (one rotation about...

Exploration
Pioneer 10 was the first spacecraft to visit Jupiter, making its closest approach to the planet in December 1973. Jupiter has since been explored on a number of occasions by robotic spacecraft, beginning with the Pioneer and Voyager flyby missions from 1973 to 1979, and later by the Galileo orbiter, which arrived at Jupiter in 1995. In 2007, Jupiter was visited by the New Horizons probe, which used Jupiter's gravity to increase its speed and bend its trajectory en route to Pluto. The latest probe to visit the planet, Juno, entered orbit around Jupiter in July 2016. Future targets for exploration in the Jupiter system include the probable ice-covered liquid ocean of the moon Europa.