1 year, 9 months ago
What is the largest planet?
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The largest planet within the solar system is Jupiter, named after the Roman god Jupiter, the king of gods, sky and thunder (the equivalent of Zeus among the ancient Greeks). It has a diameter of 88,846 miles (142,984 km), "more than 11 times that of Earth, and about one-tenth that of the sun. It would take more than 1,000 Earths to fill up the volume of the giant planet".(1)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/Great_Red_Spot_From_Voyager_1.jpg
However, the largest planet known to this day, called TrES-4, is a "puffy" planet outside the solar system, which makes it an "extrasolar planet". It was discovered in 2006 in the Hercules constellation, 1,400 light-years from Earth and has a very low density, not yet explained:
"'Its mean density is only about 0.2 grams per cubic centimeter, or about the density of balsa wood,' said study leader Georgi Mandushev of the Lowell Observatory in Arizona. 'And because of the planet's relatively weak pull on its upper atmosphere, some of the atmosphere probably escapes in a comet-like tail.'"(2)
TrES-4 compared to Jupiter, according to Wikipedia:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Exoplanet_Comparison_TrES-4_b.png
Funny fact to remember the name: "TrES-4" can be read as "tres, cuatro" in Spanish, which means "three, four".
However, the largest planet known to this day, called TrES-4, is a "puffy" planet outside the solar system, which makes it an "extrasolar planet". It was discovered in 2006 in the Hercules constellation, 1,400 light-years from Earth and has a very low density, not yet explained:
"'Its mean density is only about 0.2 grams per cubic centimeter, or about the density of balsa wood,' said study leader Georgi Mandushev of the Lowell Observatory in Arizona. 'And because of the planet's relatively weak pull on its upper atmosphere, some of the atmosphere probably escapes in a comet-like tail.'"(2)
TrES-4 compared to Jupiter, according to Wikipedia:
Funny fact to remember the name: "TrES-4" can be read as "tres, cuatro" in Spanish, which means "three, four".
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
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