Jupiter is a mini system within our solar system. Had it become considerably more massive during the formation of the solar system, it may have ignited and given us a binary star system. It is quite large in comparison to the other planets and its mass is 2.5 greater than the combined mass of all the other planets in our system. The best feature of all is Jupiter’s system of four large moons, Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. These moons are in their own right, more fascinating than many planets happen to be. For example, one of its moons (Europa) has become what many scientists are calling our Solar System’s “most likely place to currently harbor life”, other than Earth.
Wallpaper: Io Against Jupiter
Io was observed against Jupiter here in this partial family portrait. Its close proximity to Jupiter is what tears the tiny moon apart internally and causes the large amount volcanism discovered by Voyager and monitored by Galileo. Oddly enough, this image was taken by Cassini on its way to Saturn during its gravity assist pass through the Jupiter system.