Jupiter is the fifth largest planet from the sun and by far the largest
SurfaceJupiter is a gas planet, therefore it does not have a solid surface and simply gets denser with depth. Its outer most layer is composed primarily of ordinary molecular hydrogen and helium which are liquid in the interior and gaseous further out. Water, carbon dioxide and methane are also present in small amounts. Jupiter has much less water than expected and a surprisingly high temperature and density in the uppermost part of its atmosphere. Jupiter has a great red spot that has been seen from Earth for 300 years and is big enough to hold 2 Earths. The spot is a high pressure region whose cloud tops are significantly higher and colder than the surrounding regions. It is not known how such structures can persist for so long.
InteriorThe interior of Jupiter is highly indirect and is likely to remain so for some time. There is probably a core of rocky material that is about 10/15 times the earths mass. Above this core lies the main bulk of the planet in the form of liquid metallic hydrogen, which is only possible at a pressure of above 4 million bars. Liquid metallic hydrogen consists of ionized protons and electrons, and is an electrical conductor and the source of Jupiter's magnetic field. Jupiter radiates more energy into space than it receives from the sun and its core is at a heat of approximately 20 000K. This heat is generated by the gravitational compression of the planet and causes convection currents deep in Jupiter's liquid layers and is responsible for complex motions in cloud tops.
AtmosphereJupiter has high velocity winds that are confined to wide bands of latitude. They blow in opposite directions in adjacent bands and the slight chemical and temperature differences between these bands are responsible for Jupiter's coloured bands. Jupiter has a turbulent atmosphere with the winds being driven by internal heat rather then solar input. The vivid colours of Jupiter's clouds are caused by subtle chemical reactions of trace elements in the atmosphere e.g. sulphur. The colours correlate with altitude; blue lowest, brown and white mid, and red highest.
TemperatureJupiter's temperature varies widely depending on the depth below the top of the atmosphere, ranging from hotter and colder than the Earth. The very hot core was produced when Jupiter formed and slowly escapes into space.
MagnetismJupiter has a huge magnetic field and it's magnetosphere extends more than 650 million kilometers. The environment near the planet contains high levels of energetic particles trapped by the field.
RingsJupiter has small, faint and dark rings. They are composed of small grains of rocky materials and contain no ice. The particles in the ring do not stay for long and they are constantly re-supplied by dust from inner moons.
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