Page 3 - Reading Success B7

Jupiter is one of the Solar System’s gas giants, which include Saturn, Uranus, and
Neptune. Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun. Jupiter is also the biggest planet in our

Solar System. It has a diameter of 142,984 kilometers. It is so huge that its mass is
greater than all of the other planets in the Solar System combined. Jupiter has rings
around it, just like Saturn. Jupiter’s rings are mainly made of dust, and not ice. Jupiter’s
rings have three main parts. These are the halo , the main ring, and the “gossamer”
ring. These rings are believed to be caused by Jupiter’s moons. Jupiter has sixty three

named natural satellites orbiting around it. Jupiter’s four largest natural satellites are Io,
Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. These four moons are also called Galilean moons
because they were discovered by Galileo Galilei. Aside from these, Jupiter still has four

more moons that are also considered regular and inner moons. These are the moons that
have almost circular orbits near Jupiter’s equator.
Jupiter’s surface is composed mostly of hydrogen. It also has a bit of helium. These
are the two main gases that make up Jupiter’s atmosphere. Storms do not only take place
on Earth. Jupiter’s atmosphere also experiences many violent storms. In fact, it is

because of a storm that Jupiter acquired its most famous feature. It is called the Great
Red Spot. The Great Red Spot is a huge red circle that can be seen on the planet Jupiter.
It is so huge that it is bigger than the Earth. Not only is it bigger than the Earth, but it can

also contain two or three planets the size of the Earth. The Great Red Spot is considered
an anticyclone storm. It goes against the flow of a cyclone. It is located below Jupiter’s
equator, and can be seen rotating counter clockwise. Jupiter is approximately 778 million
kilometers away from the Sun. Compared to the Earth’s revolution around the Sun,
Jupiter takes around eleven years to completely orbit the Sun. Despite being the largest

planet in the Solar System, Jupiter has the fastest rotation among all the planets. Jupiter,
just like the Earth, has its own axis. It also spins on its axis. However, Jupiter completes
one rotation in less than ten hours. This means that Jupiter, despite its size, rotates on its

axis at an average speed of 14,298 kilometers per hour, or three kilometers per second.
Jupiter can actually be seen from the Earth by the naked eye. In the Earth’s night sky, it
is the third brightest object next to the Moon and Venus.

Main Idea

What is the main idea of this story?

a. the Great Red Spot on Jupiter
b. why Jupiter is larger than other planets
c. the moons of Jupiter

d. the planet Jupiter and some of its features

6_Reading Success B 7