Jupiter

/ˈdʒupədər/

/ˈdʒupɪtə/

Other forms: Jupiters

The planet Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system and the fifth from the Sun. It is named after the mythological Roman god Jupiter, who ruled over the sky.

Ancient Romans referred to Jupiter as the "king of the gods," and in a way, the planet Jupiter is the king of our solar system. It's a gas giant, with no solid surface, but it contains more than twice the mass of all the other planets combined. More than 1,300 Earths could fit inside it. The god Jupiter is often depicted with a thunderbolt, and fittingly, planet Jupiter is a world of violent storms. Its Great Red Spot, a monstrous hurricane, is wider than the Earth itself. The planet is so big and powerful that it has about 95 moons in its orbit, including one, Ganymede, that is bigger than the planet Mercury.

Definitions of Jupiter

1. noun

   the largest planet and the 5th from the sun; has many satellites and is one of the brightest objects in the night sky
   example of:

   Jovian planet, gas giant

   any of the four outermost planets in the solar system; much larger than Earth and gaseous in nature (like Jupiter)

   outer planet

   (astronomy) a major planet whose orbit is outside the asteroid belt (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto)

   superior planet

   any of the planets whose orbit lies outside the earth's orbit
2. noun

   (Roman mythology) supreme god of Romans; counterpart of Greek Zeus
   synonyms: Jove

   examples:

   Jupiter Fulminator

   an epithet for Jupiter

   Jupiter Tonans

   an epithet for Jupiter

   Jupiter Pluvius

   an epithet for Jupiter

   Jupiter Optimus Maximus

   an epithet for Jupiter

   Protector of Boundaries

   an epithet for Jupiter

   example of:

   Roman deity

   a deity worshipped by the ancient Romans