gas giants
Jupiter and Saturn
Gas giants are the largest planets in a solar system, composed primarily of hydrogen and helium rather than rock or ice.
In our solar system, Jupiter and Saturn are gas giants—massive spheres with no solid surface, just increasingly dense atmospheres surrounding a possible rocky core.
The term distinguishes them from terrestrial planets like Earth and from ice giants like Uranus and Neptune.
Largest solar system planet
- SaturnRinged gas giant
- UranusSideways-spinning outer world
- NeptuneEighth planet or sea deity
- solar systemStar and orbiting bodies
orbit · moons · rings · Great Red Spot · Cassini Division · Titan · Ganymede · Callisto
Gaseous layer around planets
- cloudsAirborne water masses
- stormsViolent atmospheric disturbances
- cyclonesRotating storm systems
- vorticesRotating fluid masses
winds · jets · convection · bands · zones · belts · auroras · lightning
Simplest atomic element
- heliumLightest noble gas
- methaneSimplest alkane fuel
- water vaporH₂O in gaseous state
- deuteriumHydrogen isotope with neutron
Extremely large and heavy
- immenseExtremely large in scope
- colossalExtremely large in scale
- enormousExtremely large in scale
- giganticImmensely large in scale
vast · gravitational pull · escape velocity · diameter · volume · density · radius
NASA interstellar mission name
- CassiniSaturn mission namesake
- JunoJupiter's divine consort
- PioneerAudio-visual equipment manufacturer
- HubbleRenowned astronomer's surname
James Webb · flyby · space probe · NASA · ESA · mission · discovery · observation
Jupiter
Largest solar system planet
solar system · orbit · moons · rings · Great Red Spot · Cassini Division · Titan · Ganymede · Callisto · Io
atmosphere
Gaseous layer around planets
vortices · winds · jets · convection · bands · zones · belts · auroras · lightning · pressure
hydrogen
Simplest atomic element
- heliumLightest noble gas
- methaneSimplest alkane fuel
- water vaporH₂O in gaseous state
massive
Extremely large and heavy
gigantic · vast · gravitational pull · escape velocity · diameter · volume · density · radius
Voyager
NASA interstellar mission name
- CassiniSaturn mission namesake
- JunoJupiter's divine consort
- PioneerAudio-visual equipment manufacturer
Hubble · James Webb · flyby · space probe · NASA · ESA · mission · discovery · observation · telescope
- cosmosuniverse, galaxies, galaxy, stars, star
- planetsEarth, planets, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn
- solar systemsun, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn
- planetary scienceplanetary cores, planet formation, planetary formation, planetary rings, atmospheres
- cosmic matterstars, galaxies, dark matter, planets, cosmic dust
- protoplanetary disksplanetesimals, protoplanets, accretion, snow line, midplane
gas giantsterrestrial planets
Solid, dense inner planets
rocky planets · dwarf planets · inner planets · asteroids · planetesimals