How would jupiter look from earth if it was in Mars orbit and came as close as Mars did in Aug 2003?

Question

This is strictly a what if question.

If Jupiters moons can survive jupiters gravity, why cant the Earth from that distance????????

Answer 1

The gravity wouldn't crush us... that's silly. It might pull us out of orbit, though; and that's dangerous because we're in a narrow range of distance from the Sun that allows liquid water, and thus life. Ending up in an orbit farther away than we are now could end up freezing us out of existence... think reverse global warming.

Dangers aside:
Jupiter is 142,800 miles across.
The distance to Mars when it's closest to Earth is about 34,600,000 miles.

So, with that information, the angular size of Jupiter (the part of a 360-degree view of the sky that Jupiter takes up) at that distance should be about 0.47 degrees.

That's just a little smaller than the angular size of the Moon and the Sun.

Answer 2

well not going to throw alot of math at you and i am in no way an expert but as far as how it would look giving the great distance mars orbit is although jupiter is the largest planet it would still be quite small although it would be extremly visible about 1/2 or 1/3 the size of the moon the one thing that i havn't seen in your answers is the effect it would have on the eliptical orbits of our solar system if it was in mars orbit and the effect on the sun which would be diasaster for everything

Answer 3

Your question is silly. The tidal forces from Jupiter would rip earth's oceans and continents apart, we would lose our atmosphere, and eventually end up a moon of Jupiter.

Answer 4

The closest Mars gets is 34,500,000 miles and its equatorial diameter is 4228.4 miles, or 6,804.9 km (0.533 Earths)

Jupiter's equatorial diameter is 142,984 km
(11.209 Earths) Moon; average distance away = 238,000 miles,

Comparing Mars at 34,500,000 miles away and Jupiter at 34,500,000 miles away,

Ratio of diameters J:M = 11.2: 0.533 = 21: 1
Ratio of area of discs J:M = 21^2: 1 = 441: 1

Ratio of distance J:Moon = 34,5 x 10^6: 2.38 x 10^5 = 145: 1

Answer 5

It would not look like anything. Looking is a human concept, and if Jupiter got that close the gravity would crush us. With out humans, looking is impossible.

Answer 6

still not close enough to show a disc to the naked eye tho it would appear to since we find 'shape' in things that have none but it would be a bright and pretty light ( we would not feel any gravitational effects but over a long time our orbit would change ) ( still a very very long distance )

Answer 7

Eeurhh?? Methink like a little white dot in the black sky?!?

Answer 8

AWESOME!!