Jupiter Reading and Questions Gr 10 Gen

Jupiter When I put on my shoes to take a walk, I know that I'll be walking on the nice solid surface of planet Earth. When I look up and see clouds and blue sky, I know that they make up the atmosphere that surrounds Earth. At night, I can see our one moon in the sky. I can't see the ocean from here, but I know that if I take a drive to the beach, it will be there. This is what makes up a planet-- a good solid surface under my feet, bodies of water, atmosphere up there in the sky, and one moon in orbit.At least that is what I thought a planet was, back when the only planet I knew about was Earth. But soon I learned that there were other planets out there.People on Earth have known that there were other planets visible in the sky since ancient times. Since Earth was the only planet they had seen up close, they probably imagined that the other ones were similar to Earth too. As astronomers learned more about Mercury, Venus, and Mars, the three planets closest to Earth, they found out that there were differences as well as similarities.In the 1600s when Galileo used his telescope to look up at the next planet, Jupiter, he began to notice that Jupiter was very different from the four planets closest to the sun. Jupiter had four moons! This seemed like such a fantastic discovery that many people didn't believe Galileo. Some other astronomers refused to take him seriously. Now we know that the four moons discovered by Galileo--Europa, Callisto, Ganymede, and Io-- were just the beginning.Once scientists knew the size and mass of Jupiter they could calculate its density. This is when Jupiter began to get even more interesting. Its density is extremely low, so low in fact that Jupiter is not a solid planet at all. Jupiter does not have a surface in the way that a planet like Earth does. Jupiter's surface consists of gas, much like its atmosphere, only more compacted.Even better telescopes eventually revealed details about Jupiter's strange surface. They showed bands and streaks of color produced by the chemicals that make up Jupiter. They also showed that Jupiter does not even rotate evenly like a solid planet does. Parts of Jupiter turn faster than other parts, more evidence that Jupiter is not a solid object.In this century we've also learned more interesting facts about Jupiter from explorations using spacecraft. The Voyager spacecraft in particular added interesting facts to our knowledge of Jupiter. The Voyager spacecraft discovered more of Jupiter's moons. They discovered that Jupiter's rings were made up of dust from Jupiter's many moons. They discovered lightning in Jupiter's atmosphere and volcanoes on its moon, Io. 1. Jupiter is the _ planet from the sun. 2nd 5th 2. Who discovered the first four of Jupiter's moons? Voyager Galileo 3. Io is one of Jupiter's? moon rings Jumbo JupiterFind the correct word to fit into the blanks. Jupiter is the 5.largest of the nine planets. It is more than 11 times larger than Earth.Jupiter is the 6.fifth planet from the Sun, and it travels once around the Sun every 7.12 years. This jumbo planet rotates in just ten hours-faster than any other planet!Thick 8.clouds surround Jupiter. Most scientists believe that the belts of color in Jupiter's atmosphere are caused by different 9.gasses. The planet is a giant ball of liquids and gases with, perhaps, a small rocky core. It's famous 10.Great Red Spot is a huge storm of swirling gases. Lightning streaks across Jupiter's sky. Jupiter has a thin dust ring around its middle and 11.many known moons. Sort the facts into the correct category. True 12. Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system 13. Jupiter spins faster (rotates) than any other planet 16. It takes almost 12 years for Jupiter to travel around the Sun 19. Jupiter has more than 10 moons 21. Jupiter's Great Red Spot is a huge storm of swirling gasses and storms False 14. Jupiter is the closest planet to the sun 15. Jupiter has the most rings of any planet in the solar system 17. Jupiter it the brightest object in our night sky 18. Jupiter's surface is just like the Earth's surface 20. Earth is larger than Jupiter