Jupiter, the most majestic of the planets, is aptly named after the king of the Roman gods. Second only to the Sun in mass, it is 318 times as heavy as the Earth and more massive than all the other planets combined. Indeed, some astronomers believe that, with a diameter 11 times that of the Earth, Jupiter is as large as it is possible for a planet to be. Were its mass any greater its gravity would cause it to shrink, or even to develop the very high internal temperatures required for thermonuclear fusion and become a star.
In this image, the planetΓÇÖs most striking features are prominently displayed: the undulating colored bands that run along its equator and the large elliptical area known as the Great Red Spot. The bands
