2007-01-22 10:28:13 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Without getting too complicated, Jupiter is a gas giant, a "failed star". Its gaseous properties cause the atmosphere itself to expand.
"Jupiter is about 90% hydrogen and 10% helium (by numbers of atoms, 75/25% by mass) with traces of methane, water, ammonia and "rock". This is very close to the composition of the primordial Solar Nebula from which the entire solar system was formed. Saturn has a similar composition, but Uranus and Neptune have much less hydrogen and helium."
Notice how it says Jupiter's composition is very close to the composition of the primordial nebula itself; and nebulas tend to be very large.
The main reason Jupiter is the largest planet has to do with its gaseous composition, in addition to what Simon and Cosmo have said.
2007-01-22 12:37:35 · answer #1 · answered by one who enjoys learning 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Because there isn't any other planet in this solar system that is bigger. You may call that a frivolous answer, but it is really kind of a frivolous question IMO. Some planet had to be biggest, and Jupiter is it. If you want to know why some other planet didn't end up bigger when the solar system formed, I am afraid nobody knows that. Even if they did, I bet it would be a big complicated explanation that didn't make much sense anyway, since any number of factors could easily have been different in the formation of the solar system that would have resulted in the 5th planet not being the biggest.
2007-01-22 18:33:59 · answer #2 · answered by campbelp2002 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There may be a good reason why the biggest planet is the innermost planet that is also outside the "melt radius" of the Sun. Imagine the protosolar nebula as a flat disk of interstellar cloud material. The "melt radius" is where the heat from the newly-formed (and rather more luminous than now) Sun would melt the ices on interstellar dust grains and cause them to evolve off the grains as vapor. Those ices helped form Jupiter. It is thought that gas giant planets can only form in the outer parts of Solar Systems. Then they often migrate inward, knocking out any smaller, inner planets as they go. Luckily for us, this process did not go to completion with Jupiter.
2007-01-22 20:05:02 · answer #3 · answered by cosmo 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Easy one! All the icy rocks far out near Pluto are too far apart to connect into anything big. All the rocks near the Sun get most of their gas blasted off leaving a smaller rock underneath. The gas collects with Jupiter in the middle.
2007-01-22 18:39:00 · answer #4 · answered by Simon 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Jupiter is no longer in our Solar System LOL
2007-01-22 18:31:50 · answer #5 · answered by DAKOTA B 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
becuase it has the biggest mass, wieght, volume, and diameter!
DUH!
2007-01-22 18:35:45 · answer #6 · answered by reading rules! 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋