Why is Jupiter so big?
Jupiter is big because it grabbed lots and lots of gas when it was born.
Pip’s answer
- Jupiter is big because it grabbed lots and lots of gas when it was born.
- It was born far from the sun, where there was lots of ice and gas.
- The bigger it grew, the stronger it pulled, so it gathered even more!
- Wow-ee, more than a thousand Earths could fit inside Jupiter!
For grown-ups
Jupiter formed in the cold outer solar system, where ice was abundant. It grew a large core quickly, and its strong gravity let it pull in huge amounts of hydrogen and helium gas before the gas cleared away. Jupiter is more than twice as massive as all the other planets combined.
Ask your child: If Jupiter is a basketball, how big do you think Earth would be?
More questions kids ask
- 🪐Why does Saturn have rings?
- 🌍Why is the Earth round?
- 🪐Why do planets go around the sun?
- 🌙Why does it get dark at night?
- ⭐Why do stars twinkle?
- 🌓Why does the moon change shape?
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