What Is The Temperature On Jupiter?

Jamie StevensNovember 2, 2017, 2:57 pm

When most people think of Jupiter, they focus on the multiple moons or the sheer size of the planet. However, the temperature is also a very interesting characteristic. On average, the temperature on this planet is approximately negative 234 degrees Fahrenheit.

Determining the Temperature on Jupiter

On Earth, the temperature is largely dependent on how far from the equator a person is. For example, the hottest temperatures are found closest to the equator on Earth. However, on Jupiter, the equator is not what scientists are looking at when determining the temperature. The height above the surface largely determines the temperature on this planet. This is because the interior of the planet drives the heat. This differs from Earth since Jupiter is considerably further away from the sun.
The sun plays a big role in the Earth’s temperature because the average distance between the two is 92.96 million miles. This might sound like a lot, but compared to Jupiter, it is a short distance. Jupiter is located approximately 484 million miles from the sun. This means that the sun has considerably less influence over the temperature.

Exploring the Different Temperature Points

At its core, Jupiter is approximately 43,000 degrees Fahrenheit. This is a major difference from the negative temperatures that you find on the surface of the planet. This intense core heat is responsible for essentially regulating the temperature on this planet. However, remember that the core is deep and this is largely why it is not able to significantly heat up the planet’s surface.
Jupiter is certainly cold and colder than you could experience anywhere on Earth. Even on the warmest days, humans would not be able to withstand the cold temperatures on this planet. This is largely because of the distance between this planet and the sun.