Find out what Jupiter’s early days reveal about us in this one minute read
- Jupiter was once a cosmic balloon: It used to be twice as big as it is now - that’s the equivalent of 8,000 Earths fitting inside it.
- A powerful force: Its supercharged magnetic field was 50 times stronger, influencing the whole Solar System.
- Why we’re here: Jupiter’s wild moves helped shape the paths of the planets - including Earth’s.
- Clues from tiny moons: Scientists cracked this mystery by studying two of Jupiter’s smallest, oft-overlooked moons.
- A window into our origins: Understanding Jupiter’s past helps explain how our own planet - and life - came to be.
It’s astonishing that even after 4.5 billion years, enough clues remain to let us reconstruct Jupiter’s physical state at the dawn of its existence
Fred C. Adams
Curious how a planet’s teenage years shaped your place in the Universe? Read the full story, Young Jupiter was so big, you could fit 8,000 Earths inside it.
