Space: Jupiter and its moons, how many does it really have and which are the most important?

The fifth planet from the Sun, Jupiter It is the largest system in which we live. If we put the rest of the planets together, its mass would not reach even half that of the gas giant.

Currently, Earth has sent an “ambassador” to Jupiter: It’s the Juno orbiter. that it has been exploring since 2016. This unmanned probe, which is part of the NASA’s New Frontiers to analyze space, it is our observer in that area.

What do we know about Jupiter?

• we already know what it is the largest planet in the Solar System: eleven Earths fit on its equator, according to NASA.
• Orbit 778 million kilometers of the sun.
• Tour once every 10 hours (a Jovian day), but it takes a few 12 Earth years to complete one orbit around the Sun (a Jovian year).

• As a gas giant It does not have a surface similar to that of our planet. Nor can it support life as we know it.
• Its atmosphere consists mainly of hydrogen and helium.
• And tell with 92 confirmed moons, or rocks are around you: the figure is from this year, after the discovery of 12 new ones. It is said that that there are more than 600, but Jupiter is so big that it is difficult to locate them.

We will delve into this point. What are the major moons of Jupiter?

Jupiter’s most prominent moons

Due to their location, they are divided into interior, Galilean and exterior.

The interiors They are the ones that orbit closest to the planet, in the inner zone of the rings. They are known as the Amalthea group, and are made up of Metis, Adrastea, Amalthea and Thebe.

The Galileans, all discovered in 1610 by Galileo Galilei, they are the four largest on the planet. Their names: Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. Ganymede is the largest not only of Jupiter, but of the entire Solar System, with a diameter of approximately 5,268 kilometers.

And the exterior ones: They are known as irregular moons, so named because their paths are eccentric and distant. According to the researchers, they are actually asteroids that have been trapped by Jupiter’s gravitational pull.

Stand out in this group Leda, Himalia, Lisitea, Elara, Ananké, Carmé, Pasiphae, Sinope and Calírroe.

Do you want to know more about the gas giant? we leave you This NASA link.