What Color Is Jupiter? Planet Facts And Myths Revealed

Jupiter is known to get its name from the king of gods from Roman mythology.

This giant gas planet known as the fifth planet of our solar system has always been interesting among other planets. The Jovian system is regarded as a mini solar system in itself with a wide range of moons orbiting the planet.

Twice the size of all the planets combined, this big ball of gas is the biggest planet in the Solar System. The planet Jupiter is mostly made up of helium and hydrogen.

Jupiter has the strongest magnetic field in the planetary world. This results in the trapping of electrically charged particles in an intense belt and a blast of its moons and rings.

Well, the planet has always amazed people with its many shades of red, white, orange, brown, and yellow. All these colors change with storms and winds blowing in the planet’s atmosphere.

After reading about the science of the Jovian system and the color of Jupiter, check out what color is Mars and what color is Uranus?

Different Colors Of Jupiter

Different chemicals present on the surface of the planet are the reason to reflect the sun’s light and produce different colors of Jupiter's atmosphere. Such colorful gases present in the atmosphere of Jupiter give cool colors to the planet.

Well, the colors that are being projected from these planets are the color of their surfaces and atmospheres. The elements that are made of are what make them reflect certain colors and absorb sunlight.

As in the case of the planet Jupiter, it has an outer atmosphere which is mostly said to be hydrogen and helium as per the scientists’ discoveries.

Also, small amounts of water droplets, ammonia crystals, and ice crystals were found on the surface of the planet in recent studies and researches. The shades of white, orange-brown, and red are mainly the colors created by the clouds of these elements on the planet.

What is the true color of Jupiter?

The main colors that we see around Jupiter are shades of white, brown, red, orange, and yellow. Well with storms and winds, these colors change according to the planet's atmosphere.

Being the largest planet of the solar system, this planet has fascinated many researchers and scientists. ‘What color is Jupiter?’ is quite an interesting question.

Jupiter's true color is a combination of shades of white, orange, brown, and red with a great red spot. The outer atmosphere of Jupiter is mostly of helium and hydrogen with small elements of water and ice droplets, ammonia crystals, and other such elements.

It is the clouds of these elements that make Jupiter, the planet looks like a shaded big ball of white, brown, and orange-red in color from space. And this is what is still known as the true colors of the planet.

Also, we see stripes called bands on this planet in its images.

There are two types of such bands on Jupiter’s body. The lighter ones are called the zones and the darker ones are the belts.

Zones are where the gases in the atmosphere of Jupiter are rising upwards and the belt regions are where these gases sink downwards. Temperatures and element compositions are the factors that are responsible for this band formation in Jupiter’s body.

What is the false color of Jupiter?

Jupiter’s atmosphere is what we see as the colors of the planet. NASA's image of this massive ball which has been recently released shows Jupiter as a dark blue planet.

Well, this is not the real color of the planet and is Jupiter's false color. The image was processed that way in order to pop out the details of the planet’s surface. The true Jupiter colors as per NASA's images are orange with shades of red, brown, and white and the great red spot.

Apparently, Jupiter’s false colors that we see are taken using image filters. The three images that NASA had produced were taken using filters.

Among them, two were taken through a narrow filter of the band which was centered on special regions of the gaseous methane spectrum in Jupiter’s atmosphere, which absorbs light. The third image clicked was taken in a red continuum spectrum region of the surface of Jupiter where it has no absorbtions.

The combination of these three images results in finding exactly how the Jupiter atmosphere looks.

What gives Jupiter its color?

A key reason for the different colors that we see on the surface of the planet is the diverse composition of the planet’s atmosphere. The various colors are becoming a way for scientists to identify the elements present in Jupiter’s surface and atmosphere.

Temperature differences and storms also are a great factor which gives certain dark and light band color patterns to the planet. The hot and cool parts of the planet show light and dark varieties of shades.

The colossal storms created by the planet Jupiter’s convection currents bring deeply submerged materials like phosphorus, sulfur, and hydrocarbons from the planet’s core to the visible upper cloud regions. These are the elements that bring out Jupiter's true color and Jupiter's false color.

So what color are the eight planets? Well, to begin with, Mercury is of a gray color and there is no atmosphere on Mercury, much like our moon.

Venus is a bit of a shade of yellow and white. The surface of Venus cannot be seen from space due to the thick clouds around it.

Earth is a light blue planet with white clouds floating and changing shapes and positions every time in the images of Earth. As per research, the red-orange color of Mars comes from the rusty dust and surface of the planet.

Jupiter is basically a giant ball with an orange-white balance color texture and bands of different colors. The ringed planet Saturn is of pale yellow color and a white ammonia haze covers the whole planet.

The methane clouds of Uranus give it a light blue color and an artificial color of bright green could be noticed in some images of the planet Uranus. Neptune is also light blue, with a darker surface than Uranus.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for what color is Jupiter then why not take a look at related articles on what color is Venus, or what color is carbon?