Jupiter
The giant planet — more than twice as massive as all the others together.
Jupiter shines as a very bright, steady cream-coloured point. It doesn't twinkle as much as stars, because it shows a tiny disc rather than a single point.
Hold binoculars steady and you can often see up to four of its moons lined up beside it. They change position from night to night — Galileo saw exactly this in 1610.
Facts
- Year
- about 12 Earth years
- Size
- 11 times wider than Earth
- Moons
- more than 90; the four big ones are visible in binoculars
Did you know?
Its Great Red Spot is a storm wider than the whole Earth that has raged for centuries.