| Jupiter radius | |
| Standard: | astronomy |
| Quantity: | length |
| Symbol2: | , |
| Units1: | SI base units |
| Inunits1: | [1] |
| Units2: | English units |
The Jupiter radius or Jovian radius (or) has a value of 71492km (44,423miles), or 11.2 Earth radii (one Earth radius equals). The Jupiter radius is a unit of length used in astronomy to describe the radii of gas giants and some exoplanets. It is also used in describing brown dwarfs.
The general shape of the planet Jupiter has been directly measured from radio occultations of passing spacecraft, starting with the Pioneer and Voyager missions. This gives an overall margin of error of about 5 km. Estimates of the radii at one bar pressure are then determined through extrapolation. The planet Jupiter has the approximate shape of an oblate spheroid, which is mainly set by the rate of rotation. This gives a difference of about 10% between the polar and equatorial radii. The polar radius has been determined with an accuracy of ±10 km, as of 1987. Density fluctuations within the planet can create variations in the equatorial radius of up to 30 km. The winds in the outer atmosphere can vary the radius by up to 4 km.[2]
In 2015, the International Astronomical Union defined the nominal equatorial Jovian radius to remain constant regardless of subsequent improvements in measurement precision of . This constant is defined as exactly:
| N | |
| l{R} | |
| eJ |
| N | |
| l{R} | |
| pJ |
| Object | / Robject | Ref | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lunar radius | 41 | < | --No citation is needed. These qualify as routine calculations under WP:OR using (referenced) radii of solar system objects--> | |
| Earth radius | 11.209 | [3] | ||
| Jupiter | by definition | |||
| Solar radius | 0.10045 | < | --No citation is needed. These qualify as routine calculations under WP:OR using (referenced) radii of solar system objects--> |
For comparison, one Solar radius is equivalent to: