Comments on: Random Earth Facts, Random Space Facts, Random Universe Facts http://randomfactsblog.com/2009/08/09/earth-facts-space-facts-universe-facts-2/ Just another WordPress weblog Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:29:42 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc hourly 1 By: Jona Earth http://randomfactsblog.com/2009/08/09/earth-facts-space-facts-universe-facts-2/comment-page-1/#comment-108 Jona Earth Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:15:54 +0000 http://randomfactsblog.com/?p=148#comment-108 How about this: Jupiter is named Jupiter because it's the largest of the Solar System planets. It is also a Gas Giant, same as Uranus, Neptune and Saturn, which means it is a massive planet made mostly of gas - i.e. with no or little solid crust like we have on Earth. So far hundreds of exta-Solar System planets have been discovered around other stars, but they are all Gas Giants because we don't yet have the technology to detect the smaller, life-supporting planets. However, the Kepler Mission http://kepler.nasa.gov may change all that. How about this: Jupiter is named Jupiter because it’s the largest of the Solar System planets. It is also a Gas Giant, same as Uranus, Neptune and Saturn, which means it is a massive planet made mostly of gas – i.e. with no or little solid crust like we have on Earth.

So far hundreds of exta-Solar System planets have been discovered around other stars, but they are all Gas Giants because we don’t yet have the technology to detect the smaller, life-supporting planets. However, the Kepler Mission http://kepler.nasa.gov may change all that.

]]>