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Which is the largest planet in our solar system?
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Answer: Option A — Jupiter
Detailed Solution
Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and the fifth planet from the Sun. It is so large that more than 1,300 Earths could fit inside it, and its mass is about two and a half times that of all the other planets combined (about 318 times the mass of the Earth). Its diameter is about 1,40,000 kilometres, about 11 times that of the Earth.
Jupiter is a gas giant, made mostly of hydrogen and helium, like the Sun. It has no solid surface. It is surrounded by thick, colourful bands of clouds made of ammonia and water. Its most famous feature is the Great Red Spot, a gigantic storm larger than the Earth that has been raging for at least several hundred years.
Other facts about Jupiter:
It has the shortest day of any planet: it completes one rotation in less than 10 hours (about 9 hours 56 minutes). This fast spin makes it bulge at the equator.
It takes about 12 Earth years to complete one revolution around the Sun.
It has a very strong magnetic field and a faint ring system, discovered by Voyager 1 in 1979.
It has one of the largest numbers of known moons, around 95 or more. The four largest, Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto, were discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1610 and are called the Galilean moons. Ganymede is the largest moon in the solar system, bigger than the planet Mercury. Europa is believed to have a liquid water ocean beneath its icy surface, making it a target in the search for life; NASA's Europa Clipper was launched in 2024. Io is the most volcanically active body in the solar system.
Jupiter's strong gravity is thought to protect the inner planets by deflecting or capturing many comets and asteroids.
Spacecraft that studied Jupiter include Pioneer 10, Voyager 1 and 2, Galileo, and NASA's Juno, which has been orbiting it since 2016.
Order of planets by size (largest to smallest): Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Earth, Venus, Mars and Mercury. Mercury is the smallest planet.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Saturn is the second-largest planet, famous for its rings.
- ✗Neptune is the fourth-largest planet and the farthest from the Sun.
- ✗Earth is the largest of the four terrestrial planets.
Quick tip
Remember: Jupiter = largest planet, fastest rotation (about 10 hours), Great Red Spot, Galilean moons (Ganymede = largest moon in the solar system); smallest planet = Mercury.
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Universe & Solar System — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Universe & Solar System, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the universe, galaxies and stars, the solar system and its planets, dwarf planets, moons, asteroids, comets and meteors, and the Earth's motions, including rotation, revolution, seasons, latitudes, longitudes and time zones. Common questions ask about the largest and smallest planets (Jupiter and Mercury), the hottest planet (Venus), the 'Red Planet' (Mars), and planets with the most moons. Other frequent questions cover solstices and equinoxes, the International Date Line, and Indian Standard Time, which is based on the 82.5 degree E meridian. Practise the universe and solar system questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.