The largest of the planets is the gas giant Jupiter. Composed of 90% hydrogen and 10% helium, Jupiter is the fourth brightest object in the sky, after the sun, the moon, and Venus. Jupiter gets its name from the Roman god who was the ruler of Olympus and the King of the gods, a fitting name for the biggest planet.
In Gustave Holst's "The Planets," Jupiter is dubbed "The Bringer of Jollity" and rather than portraying Jupiter/Jove and a thunderbolt hurling bully, he is expressed as a benevolent, good-time guy. In my piece, I chose to focus on the physical aspect of the planet: the swirling gasses, the myriad of satellites, the delicate rings. Jupiter is also our guardian planet, it's massive gravitational pull drawing in asteroids and comets that might otherwise harm Earth.
Jupiter is portrayed by artist and writer LograyX and the space images are from NASA and APOD. |
