UNIT2 

1	Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system.  Its diameter, the distance right through the middle of the planet from one side to the other, is 11 times as large as Earthfs.  That means you could put 11 Earths side by side inside Jupiter.  If you stuffed as many Earths as possible inside of Jupiter, around 1,000 Earths would fit.
2	If you view Jupiter through a telescope, you can see that its surface has alternating stripes of cream and brown.  The cream stripes are called zones.  The brown stripes are called belts.  Different chemicals in each layer make the different colors.  Most of Jupiter is made up of clouds and gas layers.  It is one of the planets called the Gas Giants.  The others are Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
3	One year is the time it takes for a planet to make one circle, or revolution, around the Sun.  On Earth, a year is 365 days long.  It takes Jupiter almost 12 Earth years to make one revolution.  As it orbits the Sun, Jupiter travels at about 29,000 miles (47,000 kilometers) per hour.  Earth orbits the Sun at a faster speed of about 66,600 miles (107,000 kilometers) per hour.  When you combine Jupiterfs slower orbital speed with its greater distance from the Sun, you can understand why Jupiterfs year is so long.
4	The difference in the revolutions of Earth and Jupiter is what causes Jupiterfs different positions in the sky when you look at it from Earth.  Earth keeps passing Jupiter as the planets orbit the Sun because Earthfs revolution is much faster than Jupiterfs.  As Earth is about to catch up to and pass Jupiter, Jupiter appears to be in front of Earth.  After Earth passes Jupiter, Jupiter appears to be behind Earth.
