Jupiter is my favorite planet. It always has been and always will be. I vividly remember sitting among my peers in my third grade classroom and learning about planets and the solar system for the first time. “Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system,” my teacher had said. “In fact, it is more than twice as large as all the other planets combined.” I was in awe. I could barely comprehend that something could be so large. Jupiter’s appearance also captivated me; it was a blur of oranges and yellows with a big, red spiral in the middle of it. There was no particular reasoning behind my sudden attachment to this massive gas planet that was 394 million miles away but I remained intrigued nonetheless. Nearly a decade later, I still remember a significant amount of information about the planet I was obsessed with throughout elementary school.
As many know, Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system. It is nearly eleven times as wide as the Earth and is composed entirely of swirling gasses and liquids. Considering that Jupiter has no true surface, if one were to attempt to land on it, they would simply fall through the thickening air and searing heat.Even if traveling the distance to Jupiter was financially and technologically feasible, it would be impossible to land on the planet and explore it as if it were a terrestrial planet. Due to its distance and form, not much is known about Jupiter.
Furthermore, with Jupiter’s massive size also comes an incredibly strong gravitational pull. As a result, Jupiter has managed to attract many items floating through space into its orbit, including very large asteroids that eventually became Jupiter’s moons. In our solar system, Jupiter possesses the greatest number of moons in comparison to any other planet. As of right now, Jupiter is known to have eighty moons, each of which have orbital periods ranging from as short as twelve hours to as long as eight-hundred days. Jupiter itself has an orbital period of around twelve years. In other words, it takes Jupiter twelve years to complete a full orbit around the sun. Jupiter’s strong gravitational pull causes the weight of objects to be much heavier than they would be on Earth. For instance, an individual who weighs one hundred pounds on Earth, would weigh two hundred and fifty three pounds on Jupiter.
When looking from a telescope, Jupiter possesses one very distinct characteristic: the Great Red Spot. This spot is actually a storm that has been ongoing for over three centuries. The storm itself takes up such a large portion on Jupiter’s surface that nearly three Earths could fit inside. Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is like a gear trapped in between two conveyor belts. High speed winds flow in opposing directions and have trapped a spinning vortex of air in between them, much like a giant hurricane. Scientists have been observing this storm since the late 1800s but only recently learned, due to groundbreaking research, that the crimson color of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is due to complex organic molecules, such as red phosphorus, that exist deep within Jupiter.
Spiritually and astrologically, Jupiter is considered to be the planet of friendship
and fulfilled wishes. It is believed that if Jupiter is placed well in one’s horoscope, one will be blessed with optimism and success. In Vedic astrology, Jupiter is known as the teacher of the other planets in the solar system, due to its age and massive size. Upon analyzing my own natal charts, I was able to find that Jupiter plays a significant role in my horoscope. Through discovering this, I developed an even deeper connection with the planet I’ve always found fascinating. I found it particularly intriguing to learn the differences in how Jupiter has been perceived scientifically and spiritually. Scientifically, Jupiter is portrayed as an intimidating planet filled with toxic gasses and numerous storms. This is certainly true. It would be impossible for human life to exist on a planet with the qualities of Jupiter, even if oxygen were readily available. Spiritually, however, Jupiter is not seen as a cold, distant planet. It is seen as a friend. Jupiter is said to have the qualities of a mentor throughout the course of one’s life. The astrological influence of Jupiter encourages individuals to pursue their curiosity and explore their passions.
Throughout the years, I have enjoyed learning about Jupiter through a variety of different lenses. Even though it quickly became obvious to my third-grade self that I would never be able to visit or touch Jupiter. I like having the knowledge that, despite the distance, I can always be inspired scientifically and touched spiritually by the planet I have loved for so many years.
Hey Amisha! I was so excited to see that you wrote about Juptiter, and was even more excited when I saw how you combined both astronomy and astrology in your essay. I feel like the two are often separated by intense debate, but you found the gray area. I love learning about the science behind the solar system, and I think it is beautiful how you have this deep connection with the planet. The scope of Jupiter’s size never really hit me until I read that it has 80 moons (with large variation in orbital periods) and the fact that three earths can fit into Jupiter’s red dot storm. It is truly incomprehensible. Sometimes I forget how curious the universe is, and hopefully there will be a day where we discover more about Jupiter. Do you know how people studied Jupiter in the 1800’s? I assume there were telescopes that could identify the planet, but I didn’t know they could see it in such detail to find a spot. So cool. Also, I never knew that Jupiter was considered to be the planet of friendship, but it is definitely inspiring. Overall, I love the different lenses that your blog peers through, and I hope to see more topics from various perspectives in the future!
Hi Amisha!
The detail of your blog really reflects the deep interest you have. It’s interesting how your elementary teacher’s words stuck with you over the years.
I never paid close attention to lessons on space. However, reading your blog has forced me to think of how small we truly are and how little I know about our surroundings.
I was shocked to learn there was no concrete surface to Jupiter. Is it just a cloud, then…? I’m struggling to wrap my mind around it.
I’m quite fond of our moon- I can’t begin to imagine seeing 80.
Your mention of the different orbital period brings to mind the movie Interstellar. The main character went to some far away planet, and by the time he returned, his daughter was dying of old age. To this day I am still terrified of these discrepancies in time.
Zodiacs, astrology, houses, star signs… all are very confusing to me! I’m not much of a believer but they are entertaining to read about nonetheless. I’ll figure out the houses and charts eventually.
I enjoyed reading about your interest in Jupiter! Maybe you could talk about other planets, or other passions of yours, in the future.
Hey Amisha! Your blog was really interesting to read, I don’t know a lot about astronomy, but I still find it to be intriguing. I enjoyed learning more about Jupiter. I mainly know the basics of each planet, but I also find Jupiter to be pretty fascinating since it is large and mesmerizing. Its 80 moons and the Great Red Spot really make the planet stand out as a sort of intriguing phenomenon in our solar system. I remember I found Saturn to be pretty interesting as a kid, not because of its size but mainly because it has the rings that I found to be fascinating. However, I never realized the contrasting perceptions behind the planet Jupiter. It seems pretty intimidating since it’s the largest planet, but it’s so interesting to know that spiritually, Jupiter is seen as a mentor because of its size, not something to be feared. It’s clear that you have a strong knowledge of the world around you; I think it’s important to know the science behind our universe, even when out of our scope or reach. Your curiosity is really valuable in this aspect, especially since you analyze the scientific and spiritual elements of Jupiter and what each of these aspects means to you.
Hi Amisha,
Your information about Jupiter is pretty cool! Me personally, I can’t remember these sorts of facts, so I don’t know much about the universe, sadly. Some things you mentioned that I thought were interesting:
Jupiter is composed entirely of swirling gasses and liquids
Weather at the red spot, with the super high winds
It has a lot of moons
As someone who doesn’t know much about the planets, my favorite one (other than Earth) is Neptune. There’s no sophisticated reason like you had. It just looks nice to me. I don’t know if you know this, but I’m a musician, and one of the most famous pieces is Gustav Holst’s “Planets.” It inspired the Star Wars soundtrack— if you listen to the Planets, then you will see why. Anyways, he wrote an orchestra piece for each planet, and Jupiter’s piece is really exciting, energetic, a bit happy, and very grounded, if you compare it to other movements. This is pretty different from how you characterized the planet, as a “intimidating planet filled with toxic gasses and numerous storms.” You should listen to Neptune by Holst, though. It has that mysterious and distant vibe that fits a gaseous planet. The piece sounds absolutely otherworldly. Thanks for sharing, Amisha! It was fun to read!