Jupiter With Io and Its Shadow
Jupiter is the fifth closest planet to the sun, ranging from
460-507 million miles away, and roughly twelve times the diameter
of the Earth, 89000 miles. These distances are scaled for NWISSM as
described
here. More information about the real Jupiter can be
found on the web at links such as this. We can
observe only the tops of the clouds on Jupiter; this shows colored
spots (storms) and bands (horrendous winds). The interior is
probably metallic hydrogen, a form only possible under extreme
pressure.
Jupiter has over 60 satellites, (many small ones which are
probably captured asteroids) and 3 tenuous rings. The four Galilean
moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto, are so varied and
interesting in themselves as described here.
Ganymede is the largest satellite in the solar system, 3300 miles,
larger than the planet Mercury.
The cache container is not scaled to the size of Jupiter ---
that would be much too large. Instead it is scaled to the size of
Ganymede, about the size of NWISSM-Mercury. It is affixed to an
object of the appropriate size for NWISSM-Jupiter; you can see
glimpses of NWISSM-Sol above the treeline at the cache site and
more clearly at the parking lot --- that is is size of the sun as
seen from Jupiter at its closest approach.
Be watchful for ticks in the area. If you see one, consider that
it the size of the whole state of NWISSM-Iowa.
