Jupiter, the most massive planet in the solar system and the fifth in distance from the Sun. It is one of the brightest objects in the night sky; only the Moon, Venus, and sometimes Mars are more brilliant. Jupiter takes nearly 12 Earth years to orbit the Sun, and it rotates once about every 10 hours.

Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system. If Jupiter was a hollow shell, 1,000 Earths could fit inside. Jupiter also is the oldest planet, forming from the dust and gases left over from the Sun's formation 4.5 billion years ago.

Jupiter is a world of extremes. It's the largest planet in our solar system – if it were a hollow shell, 1,000 Earths could fit inside. It's also the oldest planet, forming from the dust and gases left over from the Sun's formation 4.6 billion years ago.

Learn about Jupiter's size, distance, surface, moons, rings, missions and more from this comprehensive article. Find out how Jupiter was discovered, what makes it a gas giant, and why it is sometimes called a failed star.

Jupiter is the fifth planet from our Sun and is, by far, the largest planet in the solar system – more than twice as massive as all the other planets combined. Jupiter's stripes and swirls are actually cold, windy clouds of ammonia and water, floating in an atmosphere of hydrogen and helium.

Learn about Jupiter, the biggest planet in our solar system, with its stormy atmosphere, rings, moons, and auroras. Explore Jupiter's structure, surface, history, and more with interactive features and images.

Learn about Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, its moons, rings, atmosphere, and history of exploration. Find out how Jupiter compares to Earth and why it has a Great Red Spot storm.

Learn about Jupiter's size, atmosphere, moons, rings, and more from this comprehensive article. Discover how scientists study the gas giant and its mysteries with missions like Voyager and Juno.

Jupiter’s mass is two-and-a-half times that of all the other planets in the solar system combined. First, some facts. Jupiter, the fifth planet from the Sun, is between Mars and Saturn.