Our Solar System

Comparison · Updated May 2026

Sun vs Jupiter.

Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system, but how close is it to being a star? The answer comes down to mass, fusion, and a remarkable factor of 80.

Side by side

PropertySunJupiter
TypeStarGas Giant
Diameter1,392,700 km139,820 km
Distance from Sun0 km778.5M km
Orbital periodN/A11.86 years
Number of moons095
Axial tilt7.25°3.13°

About Sun

The Sun is a G-type main-sequence star at the centre of the solar system, with a surface temperature of about 5,778 K and a diameter of 1,392,700 km — large enough to fit 1.3 million Earths inside it. It contains 99.86% of the system's mass, fuses about 600 million tonnes of hydrogen into helium every second, and drives every orbit you can see in this viewer.

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About Jupiter

Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system — a gas giant with more than twice the mass of all the other planets combined and a diameter of 139,820 km. Its banded cloud structure rotates faster than any other planet (one rotation every 9h 56m), driving the jet streams that produce the bands and the centuries-old storm called the Great Red Spot. Jupiter has 95 confirmed moons as of 2024, including the four Galilean satellites visible in any small telescope.

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See them side by side in 3D

Open the 3D viewer to fly between Sun and Jupiter at any time speed and scale. The viewer renders both bodies with realistic textures, lighting, and orbital motion in real time.