NASA is all set to explore the secrets of the biggest planet in the solar system – Jupiter. Scientists have long believed that Jupiter might hold secrets about the formation of the solar system and also believe that it was the first planet to have formed. The planet is so huge that it can accommodate the entire solar system, barring the sun. Explorations of the planet are expected to reveal information regarding the evolution, composition and formation of all planets in the solar system.  The spacecraft Juno is to be launched today, when it will begin its six-year journey to the planet. Scientists say that the journey to Jupiter alone will take five years, after which the spacecraft will revolve around the planet at a distance of 3,100 miles over the planet. The spacecraft will be positioned over Jupiter’s cloud once in eleven days. On the whole, the project has been planned for the spacecraft to revolve round the planet thirty three times.

Jupiter is said to be special for the solar system due to several reasons. Being the biggest planet in the solar system, Jupiter has a mass that is two times the cumulative mass of all other planets. The volume of the planet is estimated to be thirteen hundred times earth’s volume. The power and gravity of the planet is supposed to have had a major influence on the formation of all bodies in the solar system including planets and moons. The special feature of the planet is that its composition has been constant ever since the formation of solar system over five billion years ago. Earth, on the other hand, has undergone a lot of chanes in its composition. It is due to this reason that the spacecraft is being used to unearth hidden facts about the composition of Jupiter, which is expected to be a clue for the original composition of all other planets.

NASA released a picture of Jupiter which was taken through the Cassini Aircraft. The picture is made up of four parts. The planet is so huge that after merging the four pictures and creating a three dimensional figure, each pixel was scaled to eighty nine miles. The picture release also depicted the moon Europa, which is the largest moon of the planet. Jupiter has four large moons. The secrets of the solar system have been bothering scientists for a long time. The most popular theory, which is the Big Bang Theory, is under controversies and debates. This expedition to Jupiter will probably shed some light on the secrets.