Jupiter
Sagan Planet Walk
A failed star with a turbulent, rapidly-rotating atmosphere
Hurricanes much larger than Earth
The Great Red Spot is a hurricane-like storm system that has been continuously active since its discovery by Galileo Galilei over 400 years ago.
In 1995, a probe from the Galileo spacecraft measured Jupiter's atmospheric composition as mostly hydrogen and helium, and detected wind speeds over 325 km/h!
[Photo caption reads]
True-color image of Jupiter and its Great Red Spot.
Inset: Close-up of swirling clouds around the Great Red Spot, a storm more than twice the size of Earth.
A miniature Solar System
Jupiter has many moons. The four largest are:
Callisto: oldest landscape in our solar system
Ganymede: 5,268 km in diameter, the largest moon in our Solar System; its' tectonically scarred, and has beautiful auroras and a saltwater subsurface ocean.
Europa: a potentially habitable world with a thin ice shell protecting a saltwater subsurface ocean
Io: the most volcanically active body in our Solar System
[Photo caption reads]
Jupiter with its four largest moons: Calisto, Ganymede, Europa and Io.
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[Text in blue band at left side of marker]
The mass of 318 Earths = the mass of 1 Jupiter
One Jupiter day = 9 hours, 55 minutes
1 Jupiter year = 11.9 Earth years
Known moons: 67
The diameter of Jupiter = 11.2 Earth diameters
Earth Highest [temp] 57°c Lowest [temp] -89°c
Jupiter Mean [temp] -108°c
Weight on Earth 100 [lbs]
Weight on Jupiter 253 [lbs]
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In the Sun-sized window are scaled representations of Jupiter and two of its moons, Io and Europa.
This sculpture and walking tour depict our Solar System at on five-billionth (1/5,000,000,000) of its actual size.
Erected 1997
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Science & Medicine. A significant historical year for this entry is 1995.
Location. 42° 26.434′ N, 76° 29.936′ W. Marker is in Ithaca, New York, in Tompkins County. It is at the intersection of Cayuga Street and Seneca Street (New York State Route 79), on the right when traveling north on Cayuga Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 215 North Cayuga Street, Ithaca NY 14850, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Upstate New York and in the Southern Tier. It is also in the American Northeast and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, New Netherland, and one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Ithaca College (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Ithaca Conservatory of Music (about 500 feet away); Ithaca Conservatory of Music 31st Anniversary (about 500 feet away); Tompkins County World War II Honor Roll (about 500 feet away); Tompkins County Korean War Honor Roll (about 500 feet away); Tompkins County Cold-Iraq-Afghanistan Wars Honor Roll (about 500 feet away); Tompkins County Vietnam Honor Roll (about 500 feet away); Tompkins County World War I Roll of Honor (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Ithaca.
Also see . . .
1. Jupiter: Overview: King of the Planets. NASA website entry (Submitted on June 23, 2017, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
2. Sagan Planet Walk. SPIF website entry (Submitted on June 23, 2017, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
Credits. This page was last revised on January 22, 2024. It was originally submitted on June 23, 2017, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 466 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 23, 2017, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.

