Jupiter

Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass slightly less than one-thousandth of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in our Solar System combined. Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Together, these four planets are sometimes referred to as the Jovian planets.

Appearances
Jupiter is one of the primary settings of Arthur C. Clarke's "Space Odyssey" series of novels as well as the films 2001: A Space Odyssey and 2010: The Year We Make Contact. In 2001, scientists stationed at Clavius Base on Earth's moon discover an ancient extraterrestrial Monolith producing electromagnetic radiation, which ultimately alerts them to the existence of a similar Monolith located in Jupiter's orbit. A top secret mission is undertaken and astrnauts Dave Bowman and Frank Poole are tasked with journeying to Jupiter aboard the Discovery One spacecraft. The journey is frought with peril as the ship's onboard computer intelligence, the HAL 9000, goes rogue and attempts to kill both Bowman and Poole. Poole is believed to be killed and Bowman is forced to complete the journey on his own. When he reaches Jupiter, he encounters the Monolith, which prompts a catalyst affect, transforming him into an immortal, highly evolved being - far removed from baseline humanity. Ten years later, a second mission is undertaken to determine the fate of the Discovery One and its crew. Scientists Heywood R. Floyd, Walter Curnow and Sivasubramanian Chandrasegarampillai embark upon the Alexei Leonov and fly to Jupiter. The alien intelligences behind the Monoliths reveal that a form of aquatic life exists beneath the ice shelf of Jupiter's sixth moon, Europa. In order to nudge the evolutionary life cycle of these creatures, the Jupiter Monolith, code-named TMA-2, replicates itself, producing millions of smaller Monoliths, which cover the surface of Jupiter. The Monoliths create a fision effect, which transforms the gas giant into a mini-sun, thus enabling life on Europa to flourish. Bowman, whose essence has merged with TMA-2, broadcasts a warning via the HAL 9000:

ALL THESE WORLDS ARE YOURS EXCEPT EUROPA ATTEMPT NO LANDING THERE USE THEM TOGETHER USE THEM IN PEACE

Moons
Jupiter has 63 named natural satellites. Of these, 47 are less than 10 kilometres in diameter and have only been discovered since 1975.

Galilean moons

Films that take place on or near

 * 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
 * 2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984)