Jupiter

[ joo-pi-ter ]

noun

1. Also called Jove. the supreme deity of the ancient Romans: the god of the heavens and of weather. Compare Zeus.
2. Astronomy. the planet fifth in order from the sun, having an equatorial diameter of 88,729 miles (142,796 km), a mean distance from the sun of 483.6 million miles (778.3 million km), a period of revolution of 11.86 years, and at least 14 moons. It is the largest planet in the solar system.
3. Military. a medium-range U.S. ballistic missile of the 1950s, powered by a single liquid-fueled rocket engine.

Jupiter

¹

/ ˈdʒuːpɪtə /

noun

1. (in Roman tradition) the king and ruler of the Olympian gods Greek counterpartZeus

Jupiter

²

/ ˈdʒuːpɪtə /

noun

1. See Galilean satellite
   the largest of the planets and the fifth from the sun. It has 67 satellites and is surrounded by a transient planar ring system consisting of dust particles. Mean distance from sun: 778 million km; period of revolution around sun: 11.86 years; period of axial rotation: 9.83 hours; diameter and mass: 11.2 and 317.9 times that of earth respectively See Galilean satellite

Jupiter

/ jo̅o̅′pĭ-tər /

1. The fifth planet from the Sun and the largest, with a diameter about 11 times that of Earth. Jupiter is a gas giant made up mostly of hydrogen and helium. It turns on its axis faster than any other planet in the solar system, taking less than ten hours to complete one rotation; this rapid rotation draws its atmospheric clouds into distinct belts parallel to its equator. Jupiter has more known moons by far than any other planet in the solar system—as many as 63, with new ones being discovered regularly in recent years—and it has a faint ring system that was unknown until 1979, when the Voyager space probe investigated the planet. A persistent anticyclonic storm known as the Great Red Spot is Jupiter's most prominent feature.
2. See Table at solar system

Jupiter

¹

1. The Roman name of Zeus , the most powerful of the gods of classical mythology .

Jupiter

²

1. In astronomy , the largest planet in the solar system ; the fifth major planet from the sun . Jupiter is largely composed of gas es. It is named after the ruler of the Roman gods ( see under “Mythology and Folklore” ). Jupiter is visible from Earth .

Notes

The fifth and largest planet from the sun (the Earth is third) is named Jupiter.

Example Sentences

Lakes on Titan are full of methane, and the chemical is a major component of the giant planets Jupiter, Neptune, and so forth.

From The Daily Beast

The Asteroid Belt in the Solar System has many such gaps, created by the gravity of the Sun and Jupiter.

From The Daily Beast

By contrast, the interior of big planets like Jupiter still hold some mysteries, such as whether they have rocky cores.

From The Daily Beast

When Jupiter went public in 1998, Harris was worth something like $80 million.

From The Daily Beast

Jupiter and its cousins, by contrast, are mostly made of hydrogen and hydrogen compounds.

From The Daily Beast

Some say that Callisthenes was crucified by order of Alexander for not having acknowledged him to be the son of Jupiter.

From Project Gutenberg

Gentle at first, gathering volume as it proceeded, and finally bursting into the fury of a Jupiter-Tonans.

From Project Gutenberg

At l. 568 of the same book begins the story of the love of Jupiter for Io.

From Project Gutenberg

Jupiter is mentioned in Ovid's Metamorphoses immediately after the description of the golden, silver, brazen, and iron ages.

From Project Gutenberg

Jupiter appears not to have passed its primary period; the Moon has perhaps no longer any inhabitants.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• earth