jupiter | EarthSky

2 large planets with dusty disks around them. One has magnetic field lines arcing from pole to pole.

Why do Jupiter’s large moons outnumber Saturn’s?

Jupiter's large moons - Ganymede, Callisto, Io and Europa - number four. But Saturn has just one large moon, Titan. Why? It may be the planets' magnetic fields.

Lightning on Jupiter is 100 times more powerful than Earth’s

Researchers using data from the Juno spacecraft have found that lightning on Jupiter can be 100 times more powerful than on Earth, and maybe even much more.

Animation of many small moons circling Saturn, with colorful orbits displayed.

More moons for Jupiter and Saturn! New totals here

The Minor Planet Center announced 4 more moons for Jupiter and 11 for Saturn on March 16, 2026. Their new grand totals? Saturn has 285 and Jupiter has 101.

Large, bright, white egg-shaped object. It has several diffuse filaments streaming behind it, with stars in the background.

Striking new image of 3I/ATLAS from Jupiter-bound spacecraft

The European Space Agency just released a new image of 3I/ATLAS - the famous interstellar comet - from its JUICE spacecraft. JUICE will reach Jupiter in 2031.

A dot, Jupiter, is to the right of two smaller dots, the stars Castor and Pollux. It is also above another dot. They all lie above a horizontal wavy line, the horizon.

Meet Gemini the Twins, home to Jupiter and 2 bright stars

The constellation Gemini the Twins is home to Castor and Pollux. Learn more about these bright stars, visible on northern winter nights.

Diagram: sun and Jupiter with Earth exactly lined up between them.

We fly between Jupiter and the sun today

Giant Jupiter is closest to Earth for 2026 on January 9. Then Earth will fly between the sun and Jupiter - bringing Jupiter to opposition - on January 10.

Animation: tan, banded Jupiter rotating, with the big oval red spot crossing it, and two bright dots for moons nearby.

Why is Jupiter closest to Earth 1 day before opposition?

Jupiter's closest point to the Earth in 2026, is on January 9. The distance between the sun and Jupiter will be 393 million miles, or 633 million km.

Sky chart: Sirius close to the horizon with the moon, Jupiter, Orion and a few bright stars nearby.

New Year’s Star Sirius, the moon and Jupiter ring in 2026

Entertain your friends on New Year's Eve by showing them the New Year's Star, the soon-to-be full supermoon and Jupiter. Sirius is highest at midnight.

Sky chart: 2 positions of moon, 1 full, 1 gibbous, along slanted green line, with Jupiter close to the gibbous moon and 2 stars.

January full moon: Super Wolf Moon near Jupiter and perihelion

The 2026 January full moon, the Super Wolf Moon, is fullest on the morning of January 3. It'll appear full on both January 2 and 3 with Jupiter nearby.

Closeup of part of Jupiter, with a large black oval shadow on its colorful bands.

Jupiter’s moons: How to see and enjoy them

November and December 2025 are great months for seeing Jupiter's moons Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto with binoculars or a small telescope.

Half a sphere with red-brown, blue and white bands of swirly clouds.

Young Jupiter protected Earth from the sun, study finds

New simulations reveal how Jupiter protected Earth from the sun in our planet's early years, while also explaining a long-standing meteorite mystery.

A thin spacecraft with 2 wide antennas pointed vertically in front of a large, beige world.

JUICE mission to Jupiter completes Venus flyby

The JUICE mission successfully performed a gravity assist around Venus on August 31, 2025, helping it pick up speed for its long journey to Jupiter.

2 bright dots in a dark blue sky. There are some trees in the foreground.

Venus and Jupiter conjunction. Plus meteors! See the images

Venus and Jupiter - the 2 brightest planets in Earth’s sky – were closest together for this year Monday morning. Here are the best images.

A slanted green line, the ecliptic, with two bright dots very close together along it.

See the Venus-Jupiter conjunction on August 12

A conjunction is when 2 objects share the same right ascension. The Venus-Jupiter conjunction of August 12 is a great one for observation!

Large gas giant planet very close to a bright sunlike star.

Double hot Jupiters: How do these rare gigantic worlds form?

A new study from Yale University shows how double hot Jupiters can form in binary star systems. These exoplanets are similar to Jupiter but searingly hot.

Jupiter and Io: Cluster of bright reddish and yellowish swirling vortices on a planet.

Jupiter and Io: New insights into stormy, volcanic worlds

NASA's Juno orbiter has taken an in-depth look at Jupiter and Io, revealing what they are like beneath their turbulent atmosphere and fiery surface.

Jupiter’s auroras caught on film. Watch here!

The Webb space telescope has captured video of Jupiter's auroras, showing them popping, fizzing and moving at great speed. See the video here.

Ammonia-water mushballs raining on Jupiter, says new theory

Ammonia-water mushballs could be raining down on Jupiter, explaining why some parts of the planet's upper atmosphere are deficient in ammonia.

Heatwave on Jupiter from strong solar wind amazes scientists

A strong solar wind wave slammed into Jupiter, compressing its magnetic field and creating intense auroras that created a widespread heat wave.

Planet in space with red and brown bands and many stars in the background.

Enormous rogue super-Jupiter is a surprisingly complex world

New observations by Webb of rogue super-Jupiter SIMP 0136 show that its atmosphere is more complex than thought, explaining its variations in brightness.

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Why do Jupiter’s large moons outnumber Saturn’s?

Lightning on Jupiter is 100 times more powerful than Earth’s

More moons for Jupiter and Saturn! New totals here

Striking new image of 3I/ATLAS from Jupiter-bound spacecraft

Meet Gemini the Twins, home to Jupiter and 2 bright stars

We fly between Jupiter and the sun today

Why is Jupiter closest to Earth 1 day before opposition?

New Year’s Star Sirius, the moon and Jupiter ring in 2026

January full moon: Super Wolf Moon near Jupiter and perihelion

Jupiter’s moons: How to see and enjoy them

Young Jupiter protected Earth from the sun, study finds

JUICE mission to Jupiter completes Venus flyby

Venus and Jupiter conjunction. Plus meteors! See the images

See the Venus-Jupiter conjunction on August 12

Double hot Jupiters: How do these rare gigantic worlds form?

Jupiter and Io: New insights into stormy, volcanic worlds

Jupiter’s auroras caught on film. Watch here!

Ammonia-water mushballs raining on Jupiter, says new theory

Heatwave on Jupiter from strong solar wind amazes scientists

Enormous rogue super-Jupiter is a surprisingly complex world